Simpsonian and the Simpson Community,
You may remember me, in fact, I hope most of you do. I’m Kyle Werner, a 2024 Simpson alum. I graduated with my degree in multimedia journalism, I wrote reviews on Taylor Swift albums and I covered administrators’ retirement, or, in one case, one being mysteriously fired. But I hope you remember me for more than my byline in the nation’s oldest continuously published student newspaper.
I’m writing to let you know, as Simpson students, you’ll never regret your decision to go to Simpson. Even if you think you do now, or you will in the future, hear me out:
I didn’t realize what I had until I graduated. I graduated a year early because of the feeling of claustrophobia creeping over me. I felt isolated, yet, at the same time, I felt suffocated. Campus seemingly shrunk every year until I knew every nook and cranny, every face and all of the good and the bad that Simpson had to offer.
In other words, I felt like my time at Simpson was quickly becoming redundant. So, I graduated early. I don’t regret it, but looking back, I have realized the qualms I had with Simpson weren’t actually with Simpson — I had simply gotten caught up in the comfort I had mistaken mundanity.
Everyone probably had the pleasure of hearing my dismay, and many shared the same qualms.
Now, over a year since I dedicated myself to pursuing a master’s degree at Iowa State University — I decided I love journalism too much not to delve into it more, and what better way to do it than to get my master’s in preparation for teaching journalists — I find myself missing my friends; the people I knew; the people I still know. I miss the comfort that Simpson provided.
At Iowa State, I have had the opportunity to expand my knowledge, and have had the chance to adapt to different academic atmospheres and expose myself to different ways of learning. I’ve met incredible people and learned incredible things — but nothing is as comforting as the support I had at Simpson. Between peers and professors, teammates and coaches, reporters and editors, I had the greatest support system — and I never properly acknowledged it.
I still text with professors and friends, sending them the stories I write at the Des Moines Register, telling them I miss them — I’m finally acknowledging the support I had.
This isn’t to say I regret my decision to graduate early — I definitely think it was the right decision for me — but I do regret not acknowledging what I had while I had it.
I had the epitome of the college experience: my first year, in Kresge, I lived a college life fit for the movies. New beginnings, drama, finding out who I truly was and so on and so forth. I lived in my dorm largely alone, taking high-level courses that stimulated my mind and drove my desire to keep learning.
I miss the late-night shenanigans with the gender-inclusive hall that were to never happen again; I miss the friendships I made with then-seniors, now colleagues in the journalism field; I miss the first feeling of independence I was always promised. I went to Simpson because my sister did — she was a graduate of the class of 2012 — and I fell in love with Simpson from the beginning. However, I mistook routine for love towards the end of my time at Simpson.
I don’t regret my time at Simpson, and I hope you don’t either. College is a time of understanding, finding your flexibility, finding your friends, and, most importantly, finding yourself. It’s OK to give yourself a break, and it’s okay to feel like you’re stuck. Believe me, I was.
Simpson provides so much more than meets the eye. Between the lines of heartache, pain, and anger, there are experiences that you’ll never forget. Don’t make the same mistakes I did in forgetting about how good I had it.
I now look back at my time at Simpson with only fondness. It’s not something I expected (given I wanted nothing but to escape), but it’s something I’ve learned to acknowledge and accept. This is my love letter to Simpson College and all it has done for me.
In the meantime, before your college years are behind you, savor your morning Millie’s, your SubConnect breakfast sandwiches, the classes in the questionably dingy classrooms, the friendships you make and the knowledge you learn. I promise you won’t regret it.

Best wishes,
Kyle Werner, class of 2024