Sara Reed is an example of what involvement at Simpson College will do for the future.

She’s a double major in math and economics, with a minor in computer science.

“I think it’s important that you kind of take ownership of your education,” Reed said.

She also said a lot of her opportunities came from her already exploring her options.

Involved heavily in Greek Life, such as with Pi Beta Phi and Rho Gamma, she took on a few leadership positions.

Academically, she was in the Bryan Summer Research Program, which is a program where students spend eight weeks working on undergraduate research projects.

Reed has a position as the primary tutor for the Economics Department. She was also a Wesley Service Scholar and had a work study in the Technology Services Department for a year.

“The good thing about Simpson is that if you are willing to take the initiative, there are resources there to help you,” she said. “Part of my success in college has been taking advantage of those resources and exploring different opportunities, which has helped me in many aspects.”

One of the main reasons she chose Simpson was because it gave her the idea of exploration and getting a firm base in a lot of other areas. Her other options had narrow paths to pursue and she wanted exploration.

“Coming into college, I knew that I liked math,” Reed said. “It was something that I was good at.”

Reed continuously challenged herself by taking some, if not all, of the math courses available.

Doing so helped her decide if she wanted to pursue graduate school and helped her narrow down her choices of possible careers. She exposed herself to many different areas of math.

She started with actuarial science and then deviated from the field when an internship she had wasn’t something she wanted to do.

Reed wanted to do applied math but not in that specific setting. She now wants to pursue it either as a professor or with data analytics in an industry setting.

For advice to freshman, Reed said, “You don’t need to solidify your major in the first semester. In a lot of ways, I feel we’re pressured to do so, or even when you’re graduating, you feel pressured to have an idea of what you want to do.”

Taking advantage of resources and taking the opportunity to explore is something she heavily advised.

As for her professional goals, Reed said it’s important for her to make a contribution to society.

She’s open-minded of where her degree will take her, but she’s hoping graduate school will help solidify these goals.

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