Q: What is your major(s) and minor(s)?
A: I am political science and business management majors.

Q: What are you all involved in on campus?
A: I am involved in Kappa Kappa Gamma, I am the senior class president, I am a crew captain for Love Your Melon, I am on the cheerleading team, I am an SC Leader and I am a Culver
Fellow.

Q: What’s your favorite place to eat in Indianola/Des Moines?
A: Indianola, it’s definitely Brick House. I’m not really sure why, but I love the pasta. And then for Des Moines, it’s a toss-up. I really love sushi, but I really love Malo. It’s Mexican/Latin food.

Q: What opportunities has Simpson given you?
A: It seems like too many, honestly. I’ve had the opportunity to do so many things. One of my favorites that really stands out to me is definitely the CHIP program, which is the Capitol Hill internship program. Through that program, I was actually able to spend a semester in Washington D.C. interning and taking classes on the hill. It was absolutely one of the most defining moments in my college experience just because I was able to make connections in my future desired career field. I kind of figured out which path I wanted to go with that and met some really cool people.

The schools that participate in CHIP come from all over the nation. Most of them are small Methodist-affiliated institutions, and it was just absolutely an invaluable experience. I made friendships there that will last a lifetime and connections I know that will. It definitely opened my eyes to kind of where I want to go with my career, which is amazing.

In addition to that, I’ve gone to a lot of really great conferences. I’ve gone to the Iowa Women Lead Change, Leadership Iowa University, the National Voter Campaign and a conference at Harvard. So lots of opportunities to learn and expand my knowledge and meet other people who are passionate about what I am, which really stands out in my mind and really defines my Simpson experience.

In addition to that, I have studied abroad in Costa Rica for May Term, which was super fun. It gave me the opportunity to not only explore an amazing country but also learn some Spanish, which I hadn’t ever done. We stayed with host families for a bit, so I definitely feel like I got a good grasp on their culture, and it really opened my mind kind of to how other places are, which was just very defining and a really good learning experience.

I would say senior class president has been an amazing opportunity. Through SGA, I have been able to sit on the board of trustees as senior class president, I head the finance committee and I go to all-campus budget meetings, so I’ve been able to meet a lot of really cool people and take on a lot of really good leadership experiences. I think all these things have been really helpful in defining myself as a leader and preparing me for what’s beyond, and I think that’s mostly what I can really accredit my experiences from Simpson to. They’ve really prepared me for my next step.

Q: How do you balance life?
A: I honestly don’t know if there is such a thing as balance in my life, which is probably unfortunate. My days are long, always. So it seems like there’s literally always something I can be doing, even on a week that I originally think is empty, it’s nowhere near empty. My day starts when I wake up around 8 a.m. and I’m usually not done with homework, clubs, class and anything like that until 10 p.m. So, they’re long days but certainly manageable. I don’t get a ton of free time, but that’s okay. I don’t think I would know what to do with it if I did. I thrive off being busy, I guess.

Q: What’s your advice to underclassmen?
A: Get involved. There is such a thing as getting too involved and learning how to say no is important – I’m still working on that one. But I don’t regret taking on any leadership opportunity I’ve ever had.

Even if it’s difficult, even if it’s time consuming, they made me a better, stronger person because of it and they’ve helped define who I am. I think all that’s really important when it comes to my future, so I think Simpson does a good job preparing you for it. They give you endless opportunities as long as you take advantage of those.

Q: What does your future look like?
A: My next step definitely includes law school, and I’m sending in my applications this week. So, hopefully within the next couple months, I will have a definite plan, but I do know that’s in the books. I feel that Simpson has adequately prepared me for that, and I’m excited to see what it is and where I go.