J. Nicole Simpson

As a first generation college student, I decided to attend UW-Parkside for practical reasons: it was a four-year university, offered many majors, and was accessible via public transportation. I started as a commuter student, but transitioned on campus halfway through my first semester. I immediately became involved in student life and working on campus that it made sense to move on campus, especially after I learned about the financial aid process. I also had friends that were attending and they spoke favorably about UWP. I also was excited about meeting people outside of my neighborhood.

Employer: Ranger Card Office, The Den, and movie theatre.
BSU: Programming committee member, Programming Chair
Campus Ambassador
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.: Member & Corresponding Secretary
OMSA – Student worker
Resident Assistant (Apartments & Ranger Hall)
Resident Hall Coordinator (Ranger Hall)
SGA Senator

It is so hard to think of a specific moment that stands out. I thoroughly enjoyed being a student leader and being part of the University culture. I came into myself at UWP and I wanted to help others do the same thing. This actually led me into a career in Student Affairs. I am so appreciative of all of the people that I met and influenced. A life altering moment was being selected by Chancellor Keating to attend a conference in Washington, DC for select student leaders that changed the course of my path. I had never visited Washington, DC and it was during this trip that I saw where I wanted to be. I connected with likeminded individuals.

Bridgette Johnson
Curtis Bickham
Damian Evans
Fay Akindes
Jasmine (Woodruff) Johnson

The experience at UWP helped me to find myself. I shined in serving others. I learned lessons about leadership that prepared me for managing people, understanding human behavior. I developed critical thinking skills, program planning and management skills, organization skills, communication, maturity, emotional intelligence. My work as a student became the foundation for every position I’ve had to date. It prepared me for entrepreneurship, bringing ideas to fruition regardless of the budget.

I’ve remained connected to faculty, staff, and Sigma Upsilon Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. many of whom have moved on to other opportunities. Every time I am in Racine, I make it a point to stop on campus. I love to see how the campus has expanded and the new innovations.

These can be some of the best days of your life if you want. This is an experience where you get what you give. Don’t take this for granted. Every opportunity to get involved will teach you skills that are applicable and transferable. This is a safe space to find yourself and be curious. You have the option to try on many type of opportunities to see what suits you. You have something to offer the UWP community now regardless of your lived experience and family background.

One of the defining highlights of my career was being selected to intern at the White House during the Obama Administration in the Office of Presidential Correspondence.

That experience was especially meaningful because my first trip to Washington, D.C., happened while I was a student leader at UW-Parkside. Years later, I found myself walking into the White House and contributing to the work of the Obama Administration. It was a powerful reminder of what can happen when exposure expands your understanding of what is possible.

Another major highlight has been using many of the same skills I developed as a student leader at Parkside to become an entrepreneur and build Evolve Therapy & Wellness. Program development, leadership, communication, relationship-building, problem-solving, managing limited resources, and taking an idea from concept to execution were all skills I began developing on campus.

To look back and realize that the foundation for something I would eventually build for myself was being formed while I was a student is incredibly meaningful. Parkside did not simply prepare me to get a job. It helped prepare me to create opportunities of my own.

Two women had an extraordinary influence on the person I became: my mother, Twanda Evette Simpson, and my great-aunt, Mearlean Patton.

My great-aunt Mearlean provided structure, stability, and, at times, tough love. She placed a tremendous emphasis on education and helped me understand early that education could change the trajectory of my life. There were expectations in her home, and those expectations taught me discipline, responsibility, and that my circumstances did not have to determine my future.

My mother shaped other parts of who I am. Her life taught me about resilience, grace, healing, restoration, and the complexity of the human experience. As I grew older, I came to understand people with greater compassion and to appreciate that a person’s most difficult chapters do not have to become the conclusion of their story.

My faith in God has been the foundation beneath it all. There have been many moments when I could not see the entire path ahead, but I learned to trust God enough to take the next step.

I come from a large family and those relationships have taught me about resilience, humor, faith, perseverance, responsibility, and the importance of showing up for one another. We are shaped by many people along the way. I am grateful for the people who sacrificed for me, encouraged me, corrected me, prayed for me, believed in me, and made room for me. I carry those lessons into the way I live, serve, and show up for the people in my life today.

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.” — Maya Angelou

I am currently reading The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav.

Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. I love experiencing new cultures, trying different foods, and seeing how people live around the world. I also enjoy cooking, live music, and photography. Each gives me a different way to experience beauty, creativity, and connection.

If I had not pursued a bachelor’s degree, I probably would have gone to cosmetology school. I have always loved beauty, creativity, and entrepreneurship, so I can easily imagine that I would have eventually opened my own salon.

I believe purpose is revealed when we stay curious enough to keep becoming and courageous enough to trust what is already within us. Belief in yourself often begins before you have proof.