Senior Chastain Evans has been keeping himself busy for the past four years while attending Simpson College, and hasn’t taken a backseat this semester. 

Originally from Greensboro, N.C., Evans is a double major in international relations and business management. On campus, he is the president of Fandom Club, was elected to be on the student conduct board and is the president of the Black Student Union (BSU).

Aside from the scholarship he received, Evans chose Simpson because of the small community, and he believed it would be a good fit for him to grow.

“I like the environment of a small campus,” Evans said. “I thought this would be a great place to sort of ease myself into adulthood.”

After graduation, Evans plans to travel and take some time for himself before continuing his education.

“I just want to get acquainted with adulthood a little bit before I go to graduate school,” Evans said.

Evans said he wants to take a break from school before continuing to study some form of international economics or business. He is not entirely sure what job he’d like after graduation, but will know when it feels right.

“That’s the reason I got two majors, it’s because I don’t know what field I really want to be in,” Evans said.

When asked what advice he would give to his younger self, Evans said to have more of a plan for his future.

“Plan out your courses more. Be a little more sure about what you would like to learn in college,” Evans said.

He also gave some advice for incoming first years.

“Keep being open to friendships and people. Meeting new people is a part of what makes college a great experience,” Evans said.

Evans provided a couple of Simpson memories that he carries with him. One of them was during women’s history month when Deirdre Cooper Owens came and gave a lecture. Owens is a friend of his mother’s and gave him a shoutout before she started her lecture.

The second memory that Evans shared was the Black Lives Matter protest on campus during the fall of 2020. 

“It was just impactful to see everyone together and all in one accord when it came to making sure Black students felt safe,” Evans said.

Evans had a hard time picking who his favorite professor is.

“I really like all of the professors here,” Evans said.

But if he had to pick one, it would be Katrina Cummings, assistant professor of teacher education, that Evans got close with through BSU.

“She has a really great personality and I really love talking to her,” Evans said.

Evans enjoys going to the lectures on campus, one of which is coming up on Feb. 16 for Black History Month with Martha S. Jones as the speaker.

“I just love the lectures that happen on campus,” Evans said. “You get a chance to see professors from other schools and see how far academia can really go in shaping the real world.”