Loan Coordinator Allie Martinez has been working at Simpson College for two years now and is progressively becoming more involved.

Martinez is originally from Council Bluffs, Iowa, and is a graduate of Iowa Western Community College and Morningside University. She succeeded tremendously in collegiate softball while studying social work and counseling psychology.

At Simpson, Martinez is a Loan Coordinator in the financial aid department.

“My job is to make sure all students have access to pay for college. The best part of my job is watching students grow and not have to worry about paying for school,” Martinez said.

Martinez is also a liaison for the financial aid department on the All-Campus Committee for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the chair for the Sub-Committee dedicated to bringing training to Simpson for diversity, equity and inclusion.

“My mission is to continue to spread kindness throughout Simpson’s campus. I want to become more involved on campus and learn what I can do better as a staff member to make our students succeed,” Martinez said.

Choosing to work at Simpson was easy for Martinez. She knew she wanted to work in higher education in the Des Moines area, and Simpson stood out to her.

“When interviewing, something about Simpson caught me. I felt like I was accepted to be me, and I knew I would thrive here. After my initial interview with Tracie, I went home and said, ‘This is the place where I build a career,’ “Martinez said.

Martinez expressed that coming to Indianola and working for Tracie Pavon was the best decision she has ever made.

“Simpson has become my second home, and I want to keep working to make it a better place for students, staff and faculty,” Martinez said.

When asking Martinez what her favorite part about her job is, she said it’s the look on a student’s or parent’s face when they realize that they can go to Simpson.

“Access to higher education should be an option for everyone, no matter what circumstances that you come from. I went into higher education for the joy of watching young adults achieve their potential. I get to see that every day, so that is awesome,” Martinez said.

Martinez said her favorite part about Simpson is her department and coworkers.

“We work so well together and we grow as a staff every day. They make coming to work something I want to do, rather than someone I must do. We also have these awesome dance parties every Friday afternoon. If you want to join, go ahead and stop by. We like dancing out the stress of the week. If you watch ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ you get it,” Martinez said.

Martinez is currently getting her second bachelor’s through Simpson and plans to be working here for at least another year and a half.

“I know that I want to stay in higher education and eventually work in an athletics department. If that is at Simpson, awesome; if not, I know that wherever I go, Simpson will hold a special place in my heart,” Martinez said. 

In her free time, Martinez loves traveling, playing slow pitch softball and hitting the dance floor with her friends.  

“The last four months, I have been to Nashville, Tenn.; Scottsdale, Ariz.; Charlotte, N.C. and the Ozarks, Mo. I hope to go to Yellowstone Park and Colorado this spring. During the summer, I play slow pitch softball, and right now, I am looking for a basketball league and a soccer league. Other than that, I am usually out with my girlfriend and our friends killing it on the dance floor,” Martinez said.