Q: What are your major(s) and minor(s)?
A: My major is psychology and my minor is French.

Q: What activities are you involved in on campus?
A: I’ve been a part of speech & debate since my first year here. I’m currently a part of SARA; this is my second year. I’m a member of the Kappa Theta Psi fraternity.

Q: Why did you choose to be a SARA? What has been your biggest takeaway from that experience?
A: I chose to be a SARA because there are people very close to me who’ve experienced some sort of sexual assault or harassment and I wanted to be an ally and advocate for them and for everyone who is a survivor. I wanted to learn more about it. And it’s obviously just a huge thing in our society at the moment, always has been. My dream would be to see a time when that’s not a problem. My biggest takeaway from SARA would be that everyone has a voice. Everyone deserves to be heard and believed when they say that they’ve been sexually assaulted or harassed and everyone can be an advocate and help someone.

Q: You studied abroad for a semester in France. What was that experience like?
A: It was probably one of the single greatest experiences of my life. I learned a lot about the culture, the language, the food, the people, but I also learned a lot about myself. It’s very difficult to go from a place that you’ve always been and a place that you know to a place that’s completely different by yourself. You learn just how confident and resourceful you can be. You grow so much as a person and then you come back and you see how things have changed. I absolutely love that and I encourage everyone to do.

Q: What does it feel like to be part of an award-winning speech & debate team?
A: It’s really good because I think what makes Simpson College Speech & Debate so fantastic is the people that are involved in it, from our head coach Spencer Waugh to the first-year that’s going on their first debate tournament in their life. We all add something to it. We all act as a large family and I think that’s really what’s made us so successful. We share each other’s victories, we share each other’s failures and we learn everything that we possibly can.

Q: What is your favorite Simpson memory?
A: I took a history class with Daryl Sasser and it was one of the greatest experiences of my college career. He is just so funny and so charismatic about what he does and enjoyable all around. It was great.

Q: Do you have any advice for freshmen?
A: Your four years here are a time for you to explore who you are and the world around you. I strongly encourage that you do that to the fullest of your abilities whether that means you sign up for all of organizations or just the three that you’re really passionate about. Talk to people outside your friend groups. Take a class that you wouldn’t normally take. Study abroad. Expand your horizons as much as possible and remember that you’re not just investing in an education. You’re not just investing in your future career. You’re investing in who you are as a person and that will make all the difference in the world.