Sensational Seniors: Espoire Nkomezi ’25

Commencement is always a time of festive celebration for graduates and their families. For Espoire Nkomezi ’25, it was extra special.

“I can’t put into words what this day means to me, because when I graduated from high school, my family wasn’t there. But after 14 years of not seeing them — they made it to my Simpson graduation. It was the best moment of my life.”

The jubilant reunion included Nkomezi’s parents, five siblings, uncle and cousins, who settled in New York in 2024. Nkomezi had to leave his family behind in 2010, seeking to escape the ongoing civil war in his DRC Congo home. He arrived in the U.S in 2017 graduated from Johnston (Iowa) High School, before coming to Simpson when his soccer coach connected him with Storm Head Soccer Coach Rick Isaacson.

Nkomezi became team captain for the Storm, earning A-R-C Honorable Mention honors twice on his way to earning his degree in health and exercise science. He says everyone at Simpson made him feel at home.

“If I can describe Simpson in one word I would say ‘family.’ The professors treated me like my parents, guiding me as a first-generation student and giving me advice. the relationships I made here will last forever.”