The Ruble family calls the wonderful community of Indianola their home. So parents Debbie and Rick weren’t surprised when their successful three kids chose to stay in Indianola and attend beloved Simpson College. Here, Debbie talks about their students Averey, Aiden and Adrianna and how much all five of them love Simpson, one of Iowa’s gems.

Q. Tell us about your students and some of the deciding factors for each that went into choosing Simpson.
A. Averey graduated in the spring of 2020 with a Psychology major and Spanish minor. She was involved in the alumni club, concert band and volunteering. She just completed her second year at Drake University Law School.

Aiden graduated the spring of 2022 with a Business Management major and minors in Honors and Psychology. He was involved in the alumni club, inner faith, SAE fraternity and the history club. Aiden is attending Drake University Law school this fall.

Adrianna will graduate in the spring of 2025 with a teaching degree and as many endorsements as she can get. She is involved with inner faith, dance team and volunteering. All three decided on Simpson because we could afford to send them and they would be as close to home as they wanted. It was a great fit for all of them.

Q. As a parent, what was it like to know all three of your children were attending/attended Simpson College? What did you, as a parent, appreciate during the recruitment process and during their time at SC?
A. We are definitely proud of all of our kids and their decision to attend/graduate from Simpson. I was always cheering for Simpson! During the recruitment, all three of the kids met with Dave Williams and we all felt comfortable with him. We always felt we could call upon him if we had questions or needed anything. All three kids have different personalities and different interests but yet they have all excelled at Simpson.

Q. How did you see each of your children evolve during their time at Simpson?
A. Adrianna (1st year) absolutely thrived! She met so many new people, had so much fun on the dance team and did exceptional in the classroom. She was involved in many clubs and volunteering. Aiden who graduated in three years Summa Cum Laude had a wonderful experience in the classroom and fraternity. He was involved in many clubs and volunteering. Averey graduated in three years, she was involved in concert band along with many clubs and volunteering. All the kids were able to grow academically, spiritually and emotionally.

Q. Each of your students received a variety of academic scholarships during their time at Simpson. Talk about what this meant to you as a parent and as a family.
A. Rick and I always told our kids they would be going to college and we would pay for it somehow. We researched and found scholarships to apply for. They knew it was expected their senior year and each year of college to apply for new ones. Averey and Aiden are 18 months apart and Aiden and Adrianna are two years apart. So having more than one kid in college is crazy! For this past year we have a law student at Drake and two at Simpson. Academics are top priority. All of the kids did phenomenal by applying and receiving many scholarships. We are definitely so proud of each of them and making college tuition affordable for Rick and myself.

Q. If you could speak directly to those alums and friends of Simpson who have/are paying it forward and have provided financial support to your children, what would you say?
A. Thank you thank you for your kindness and generosity as alumni or donors. We feel any amount of a scholarship is appreciated by those receiving it. For my family each and every scholarship was exciting and we felt earned by our kids.

Q. What advice you would like to provide a parent as their student enters Simpson College?
A. The five of us have lived and worked in Indianola all our lives. We are fortunate to know many people here. I was a stay at home mom for 19 years and am very close to all three of our kids. We agreed that they could go to college as close or as far away as they wanted. Simpson was perfect for my family. Averey commuted to Simpson, Aiden lived in the dorm and frat and Adrianna lives in the dorm. Averey played in concert band, Aiden was in honors and Adrianna is on the dance team—three totally different kids doing all different activities. Look and do your research at many schools and pick what works best for your family.

Thanks to the generosity of donors, students like Averey, Aiden and Adrianna thrived at Simpson. We are able to continue to offer the highest quality education at the most affordable price for our students because of our supporters. To learn how you can help students at Simpson, contact Chris Goodale '86 at 515-770-1426 or chris.goodale@simpson.edu to learn more.