Simpson College (simpson.edu) baseball senior Truman Schmitt has been selected to the Academic All-District 8 First Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced on Thursday, May 14. Schmitt is the first Storm baseball player to be honored with the achievement since 2014.

Simpson College (simpson.edu) wrestler Dylan McChesney earned recognition on the American Rivers All-Conference team for his efforts during the 2019-20 season.

Simpson College, (simpson.edu) senior Kathryn Hays has been chosen to present her research at the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Posters on the Hill event. Selected from a nationwide pool of applicants, Hays' research focuses on disinformation campaigns from foreign governments and how they affect different electoral systems.

Simpson College showcased our student's undergraduate research and creativity on April 25, 2019.

Simpson College (simpson.edu) senior Paige Bendt-Wake is among a select group of college students chosen to present research at the inaugural Richard Macksey National Undergraduate Humanities Research Symposium hosted by Johns Hopkins University. She will present her research on the topic of self-gaslighting as it relates to sexual assault. Due to COVID-19, this year's symposium has been moved to an online format to be completed by the end of April.

Simpson College (simpson.edu) student Christopher Shima has been awarded the 2020 Newman Civic Fellowship, a select honor that recognizes and supports community-committed students who are changemakers and public problem-solvers.

Simpson College students Gunnar Davis, Devon Wood and Ann Haakonson, all members of The Simpsonian student newspaper staff, earned awards at the annual Iowa College Media Association conference in February.

After four days of competition in New York City, the Simpson College Speech & Debate Program garnered its highest overall finish in combined speech and debate sweepstakes in team history while earning the national debate title for a second consecutive year.

Simpson College (simpson.edu) announced that 138 students made the President's List for the 2019 Fall semester. Students named to the President's List achieved a 4.0 GPA.

Simpson College (simpson.edu) announced that 209 students made the Dean's List for the 2019 Fall semester. Students named to the Dean's List achieved a GPA between 3.70 and 3.99.

Liz Hollinger delivered the address at Simpson College's December Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 14 in Indianola.

Mackenzie Clayton delivered the address at Simpson College's December Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 14 in Indianola.

Simpson College celebrated student success with Honors Convocation on April 24, 2019 on campus at Smith Chapel in Indianola, Iowa.

Simpson College is proud to announce Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), a national leadership honor society that was founded in 1914 at Washington and Lee University.

Simpson College students win the programming contest at the Midwest Instructional Computing Symposium.

Simpson College students participated in the MCM/ICM competition on February 9-12.

Theatre Simpson presents Festival of Short Plays 2019: Interfaith and Religious Diversity on April 12 - 14, 2019.

Theatre Simpson presents "Titus Andronicus" by WIlliam Shakespeare on November 16, 17 and 18.

Simpson College receives grant from the LCS Foundation to create the LCS Health Services Leadership Fund.

Kathryn Hays has achieved a rare feat: The Simpson junior is one of a select number of students chosen to serve as interns this semester in the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. "They only accept two or three," she says. Appropriately, Hays was in France this August when she received an email saying she had been selected. "I was screaming," she said. "I was downtown, and we went out and celebrated that night. When my French friends found out, they did a huge cheer at the bar." The journey that took Hays from her home in Macomb, Ill., to the French Embassy is not quite as far as one might think. Her mother, Kim Johnson '79, teaches French and Spanish in an Illinois high school, and used to sing songs in French to Kathryn when she was a child. Once Kathryn learned the language herself, mother and daughter could carry on conversations that her father, Mike, couldn't follow. "He gets so confused," Kathryn said, laughing. "He gets really annoyed." At Simpson, she is majoring in international relations, political science and - of course - French. She also is a Culver Fellow. Hays felt confident in her ability to speak French. But writing it was a different matter. She discussed her frustration with Sharon Wilkinson, professor of French. "Sharon is amazing," Hays said, "She was so helpful. I came in the second day of class my freshman year and told her that I was confused about grammar. She made me an online class with practice exams regarding basic conjugation." Wilkinson returns the compliment: "Kathryn is such a motivated and outgoing student. She's never been afraid to tackle a challenge, even if it will require a lot of hard work." Hays has visited France five times. The most recent came during a Study Abroad trip to Inge. She enjoyed it so much, she and another American friend decided to spend the summer on the island of Noirmouteir, working as au pairs. "We were the only two Americans on the island, so it was a total cultural immersion," she said. Kathryn is such a motivated and outgoing student. She's never been afraid to tackle a challenge, even if it will require a lot of hard work. Hays had consulted with Wilkinson and John Epperson, professor of political science, about applying for the French Embassy internship program through the Capitol Hill Internship Program (CHIP). They told her to try, but also to keep in mind how difficult it is to be accepted. "I had to write my cover letter in French, so it was helpful to have my host family give me advice," she said. "I sent in my application on the day that France won the World Cup." While in Washington, D.C., Hays will work at the French Embassy four days, then spend Friday reflecting and taking field trips with other CHIPS interns. "I feel like this is the most qualified I could be for a position," she said. Wilkinson agreed. "Kathryn definitely took full advantage of the opportunities she had in France to make connections, work on her language skills and deepen her understanding of French culture," she said. "She made her Study Abroad experience into one that will open doors for her long into the future." Hays spent a few days on campus before having to leave again. At Stand Around, whenever her friends saw her talking to a first-year student, they told them, "This is Simpson success right here." Asked what her dream job would be, Hays did not hesitate: "Being the U.S. ambassador to France. I've made it into the building. That's pretty good."

Simpson College students study abroad for the fall semester in London.