For many students, graduation means the end of a chapter, and moving on; however, for three 2025 Simpson College alumni, it meant moving in. Max Meyers, Grace Peterson and Aryss Forbes have begun working full-time back at Simpson for the 2025-26 school year, “right where they belong.”
For Meyers, who now serves as the Loan Coordinator and Financial Aid Advisor, the path back to Simpson came sooner than expected. He always knew he wanted to come back to work for Simpson, but did not expect it to be right away.
“It was very unexpected, I will say,” he said. “I knew at some point I wanted to come back to Simpson, whether that was in a volunteer spot or actually working full time, I just didn’t realize it was going to be right after I graduated.”
Meyers graduated with a degree in management information systems, which he said has helped him in this new role as he often works with databases.
Meyers was heavily involved on campus during his time as a student, serving as a member of theater, choir, the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and working as a community advisor. He also poured countless hours into campus events, especially as the president of the music club, which has made stepping into a staff role a special challenge.
“I poured a lot of time into campus events, especially with the music club, and now I have to watch from the sidelines. Those were things that I enjoyed when I was in college and wanted to continue them afterwards, but it’s not my job to do that anymore. It’s the students now,” he said.
Like Meyers, Grace Peterson also found herself back at Simpson sooner than expected. She was inspired to give back to the TRIO program as it supported her as a student. Now she holds the role of Administrative Assistant for Student Support Services.
Peterson graduated with a degree in human services and social work. She was a transfer student, and as soon as she came to Simpson, she got involved in the TRIO program. TRIO helps first-generation, low-income and disabled students work towards completing their bachelor’s degree by providing academic, personal and financial support. Peterson also interned for TRIO during her last semester of college.
“I ran the social media page and planned workshops and other events,” Peterson said.
TRIO had a positive impact on Peterson during her time at Simpson, which inspired her to give back by applying for a full-time position.
“I realized how important TRIO was to me during my time at Simpson. If I did not have the resources that TRIO provided and the community it provided, I don’t think that I would have been as successful as I am now,” she said.
Her hands-on experience in TRIO, combined with her degree, has been a significant asset to her current role.
“My degree has helped a lot with this work. I am the admin assistant, but there is also a lot of human service aspects to it, like helping students when they’re in a crisis,” Peterson said.
Peterson found Simpson to be welcoming when she transferred. This sense of community is something she continues to feel in her transition as a staff member.
So far, her favorite part of the job has been seeing students succeed and achieve their goals.
“I love it when a student comes to me and tells me, ‘I got a good grade on this paper,’ or anything with their achievements. It brings me so much joy to see them succeeding,” she said.
Just as Peterson was drawn back to the TRIO program, Aryss Forbes also returned to a familiar place from her time as a student. For three years, Forbes worked in an undergraduate position in the Accounts Payable Department while completing her degree in accounting with a minor in business analytics.
During her last semester, the vice president of business and finance asked what she had planned post-graduation, and encouraged her to apply for the Accounts Payable Specialist position.
While the setting has remained the same, the transition from student to staff has been an adjustment.
“Yeah, this campus feels different being on the staff side. I don’t get to see as many students and it is kind of strange being on the other side and seeing all of the background work that goes on for everybody,” Forbes said.
During this transition, she has been navigating relationships with her old professors who are now her coworkers, and friends who still attend Simpson.
“I’ve gotten to know the staff more personally and learn more about everybody, that’s been really great. I’ve been able to make more friends on the staff side. So I enjoy that. I do have a couple friends left at Simpson and I love getting to see them around campus, but I feel like it’s important to have boundaries in our relationship,” Forbes said.
Forbes’s favorite part of the job has been learning about the campus community from a new perspective and forming relationships with colleagues from all across campus.
For Max Meyers, Grace Peterson and Aryss Forbes, graduation didn’t mean moving on; it meant coming back. Using what they learned as students, they’re now able to help guide and support the next generation at Simpson. These alumni have come full circle and are right where they are meant to be.
