Adam Stewart '18

When graduate Adam Stewart came to Simpson four years ago, he had no clue what he wanted to do.

“I wanted a classroom size where I could have direct and immediate dialogue with professors,” said Stewart, who grew up in Fort Madison. “I wanted to have a wide range of options while at college, and I wanted the study abroad opportunities that are and were offered.”

Stewart gradated this May with two majors, Environmental Science and Spanish. With these majors, he will be moving to Roatán, Honduras to attain his SCUBA dive master and dive instructor certifications. After that he is considering graduate work.

How did he eventualy decide his future path? As it turns out, Simpson is a great place for doing exactly that.

“What helped me decide was the ability to take an array of classes over different subjects for the first two years,” he said. “Advisors and professors helped nudge me in the right direction. I was able to do so and declare my majors at the end of my sophomore year.”

Stewart credits many professors for helping him on his path, but he especially thanks Clint Meyer, Associate Professor of Biology, and Mark Bates, Professor of Spanish for nudging him in the right direction.

“Clint Meyer was especially helpful for my environmental science major as he didn’t push me in any direction, yet encouraged what I really wanted to do,” he said. “Mark Bates was also an incredible help in deciding to major in Spanish. He helped me determine that I could complete the course work for Spanish in the remaining time I had left at Simpson.”

For Stewart, one of Simpson’s attractions was offering May Term study abroad classes.

 “I had no idea how impactful they were going to be in my life,” he said. “I made some great friends on those trips and even found a career opportunity or two.”

For those considering Simpson, Stewart offers this advice:

“Simpson can be what you make it. If you decide on Simpson, there are so many opportunities and ways to go about your time that it can be an incredible and positive decision.

“It was for me.”