Simpson College’s Religious Life Community (RLC) has named junior Hannah Curtis as their 2024 president.
As president, Curtis will serve as campus chaplain Mara Bailey’s right hand. RLC started in the fall of 2023 without a president, so one big task is to reinvent what the role will look like in the future.
Most of the things she has been working on so far are helping out where she is needed; recently, RLC relaunched their worship, so she has been able to help out with that by being there and spreading the word about RLC.
Curtis is excited about her new role, stating, “Simpson College and RLC has been a big part of [her] so being able to be a part of this organization as president is really special.”
It is likely to have at least heard her name prior to her becoming RLC’s president. Curtis holds important positions as director of recruitment for Delta Delta Delta, a UGA for the English department and a writing consultant for the writing center.
RLC has also named its five 2024 interns alongside its new president. The interns are broken up into different groups that head different parts of the organization.
Sarah Roberts and Ilianna Murphy both stand as interfaith leaders. Roberts helps coordinate interfaith visits to religious sites in Des Moines as well as runs a female Bible study here on campus.
Hailey Cooper stands as the liaison between FCA and RLC.
Bailey Peterson is the Catholic Intern, helping to coordinate mass and the Catholic Student Organization (CSO) meetings each week.
Lastly is Jadyn Mortenson, who takes the lead on programming for individuals questioning their place in religion, faith or spirituality.
A common role of the RLC interns is to work closely with one another to make sure that their spaces are inclusive and welcoming to those who may not be sure where they fit in.
RLC holds many weekly events such as worship in Holy Grounds on Wednesdays at 6 p.m., various Bible studies, CSO meets on Mondays and Fellowship of Christian Athletes meets on Tuesdays.
Starting in February, Mortenson and RLC will be doing a three-part series on having informed conversations and holding space for individuals who have religious trauma or negative experiences with religion or faith.
They also have other events that they are coordinating for students throughout the semester, including trying to bring back “crafternoon”, a successful event from last semester, and gathering information for Ash Wednesday and Easter services. RLC will release more information closer to those dates.
“Sometimes people are a little hesitant to get involved with RLC because religion can be a little intimidating, and we don’t want to feel like an outsider.”
Simpson’s RLC is a very welcoming group, so they want students to know that you can be of any belief, faith or journey and still feel welcome at their events.
If you are interested in any of these events or other RLC events, you can reach out to the interns with any questions.
