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As a liberal arts institution, Simpson College requires students to fill credit requirements designed to get students to take classes outside their major. Sometimes, those classes make all the difference, often leading students to discover something they didn’t know they’d love and changing their majors.
Corydon’s Madi Wilson ’17 arrived at Simpson during her freshman year planning to be a high school English teacher when she graduated. So she signed up for some education classes that year, but she also took a journalism course on a whim, and she loved it.
“Brian Steffen encouraged me to take more journalism classes and after that point, I switched directions and decided to go into the communications field,” she said. “I love writing, so journalism has been perfect for me.”
While she started down the path of journalism, Madi continued to pursue a degree in English as well. And she couldn’t have made it through the endless writing from both majors without the guidance of professors Brian Steffen, Mark Siebert and David Wolf.
“They were always willing to meet with me, listen to me complain, and provide advice and words of wisdom,” Madi said. “They’ve influenced my life tremendously by encouraging me through tough times and showing that they truly care about helping me reach my personal and academic goals.”
Someday she hopes to be a communications and media studies professor, maybe even at Simpson College. That’s why she’s planning to continue her education in the fall to work toward her masters and doctorate degrees.
Madi’s time at Simpson was molded by much more than her studies, however. She stayed highly involved in several activities including The Simpsonian, Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, intramurals, First Year Council, Campus worship, Alpha Lambda Delta honor society, Sigma Tau Delta English honor society and off campus organizations.
“I feel so blessed to have been involved in all of these organizations,” she said. “I’ve built confidence, grown as a leader, strengthened my faith, and I’ve developed relationships with professors and friends that I know will be lifelong.”
And as she did all these things, she made memories along the way, whether it was big events like Stand Around, CAB bingos, Homecoming Week or Greek life activities or simple tasks.
“I was honored to be Simpson’s 2016 Homecoming Queen, so that’s definitely a memory I will never forget,” Madi said. “I will also never forget taking late night road trips with friends, pulling all-nighters, and writing 10 page papers the day before they’re due, though I don’t encourage it.”
Madi knew coming in that her experience at Simpson would be a personal one, deliberately choosing it for its small size. But she didn’t know how involved she’d be able to be in just four short years.
“There was literally always something to do, even on the weekends. For this reason, I barely ever went home and I only live about an hour away,” she said. “I loved that there was always something to do because it gave me the chance to meet new people, network, and have fun.