The first senior spotlight for the class of 2023 is Chase Henry, a senior from Mount Ayr, Iowa. Chase is a business management and finance economics double major with a minor in business analytics. He is currently president of the Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) fraternity, undergraduate assistant for the business and finance team, a member of the varsity tennis team, and serves on several other committees on campus. 

Henry decided on Simpson, “to be more than just a number, and to be close to the Des Moines area for business and finance internships.” 

That’s exactly what he’s done. Henry has not only made himself present among the Simpson community but has also had two commendable internships, one with Coca-Cola Corporate and the other with Simpsons Business and Finance CFO, Dee McCormick. Chase plans on working in the Des Moines area as a finance/business development manager following his spring 2023 graduation date. 

His favorite memory at Simpson is having the opportunity to explore education and the business industry at an international level. Back in 2020, Chase was awarded the Jeff Zimpleman Iowa Sister States Scholarship to take his studies abroad but was not able to utilize this scholarship due to COVID-19 until last year. He was finally able to put his scholarship to use and travel with three professors and 15 other students on a 19-day trip through Northern Italy that finished in Venice.    

“My May Term, ‘Merchants of Venice,’ allowed me the opportunity to learn more about the manufacturing, agriculture, hospitality, and design in Italy’s small and mid-sized enterprises,” Henry said. “I was able to gain exposure relating to the environmental impact of doing business and the strides different companies and countries are making to slow climate change through innovative solutions and brainstorming.”

Other than the May Term, another class that heavily impacted Chase was intro to communications with Lisa Carponelli. 

“Carponelli created a fun classroom environment with enhanced learning objectives through individual and group-based projects,” he said. “I really enjoyed starting each class with music to create an uplifting mood. Looking back, I learned a ton about communication and how it relates to social and cultural settings. She’s one of the best professors and I really enjoyed learning the importance of good communication and how to apply it in real life scenarios.”

Some advice he would like to give incoming freshmen on his way out is, “get involved on campus quickly and push your boundaries. Be the conversation starter and go to a club or organization’s meetings, even if you don’t think you’ll like it.” Henry said, “Your future self will thank you and you may establish relationships that last a lifetime. That’s how I found ATO and haven’t regretted my decision once. And now I have a network of thousands of brothers across the world in every profession imaginable.”