Jace Modrell '17

In 10 years, Jace Modrell ’17 wants to be working in a physical therapy clinic somewhere in the Midwest. Since he started at Simpson, he knew he wanted to go to graduate school for physical therapy, but he wasn’t sure what major would lead him in the right direction.

“After meeting with a few athletic training professors at the start of my freshman year, I felt that an athletic training major would provide me with a great foundation to build upon in graduate school and essential skills for my future career,” Jace said.

Now equipped with a bachelor’s degree in athletic training and a minor in biology, he’s preparing to start graduate school at University of Iowa to get his doctorate in physical therapy within the Carver College of Medicine there.

It was a long process getting there though. Jace’s academic advisor, Professor Mike Hadden, provided a lot of resources to prepare him with for applying. Other professors, like Jackie Brittingham, taught Jace necessary information to succeed in graduate school.

“I was always impressed with how much work she put into ensuring that her students understood the information that she was teaching,” Jace said. “Seeing how much effort she put into teaching the information was very evident and pushed me to work harder to learn it.”

The passion the professors at Simpson have in teaching surprised even Jace, a Moville native used to a small school setting.

“At Simpson, the professors put in so much time and effort to ensure that students understand the necessary material and do not lose sight of their goals along the way of their education,” he said. “The staff understands that every student enters college with distinct and high goals and they want nothing more than to see those students achieve their goals.”

Jace found the same personal connection outside the classroom too within the activities he participated in. He was active in intramurals, the athletic training club, pre-health society and phonathon, giving him ample friendships outside his major as well.

“My favorite memories come from playing intramurals with some of my best friends,” he said. “Win or lose, we always went out there and had a great time with one another.”