Andrew Simoes, Historical Studies
School of Arts & Humanities
Andrew Simoes came to ĢƵ in the midst of great challenges, facing them with tremendous resilience and growing into a champion of on-campus leadership.
In high school, Simoes was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Evans syndrome. “This disease would affect the blood in my body, causing me to become very sick at random points throughout a given year. This caused many hospital visits to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia,” he shared.
This led Simoes to have to face not only physical and mental challenges, but also academic challenges due to prolonged hospital stays, which caused him to miss days or even weeks of classes. He credits his faith and support system with giving him the strength to keep pursuing his education.
“Through my faith in God and the engagement of my friends and professor, I was able to focus on getting better while making my progress toward my degree,” Simoes said.
Despite all of this, Simoes knew how to make the most of his time at ĢƵ, exploring hobbies and leadership opportunities that fit his interests. During his time at ĢƵ, he has served as a TALON (), guiding incoming ospreys .
“As an orientation leader, I always tell students, if there’s not a club you like, you can always make your own,” Simoes shared. That’s how he founded the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) Club on campus, which now has a membership of over 90 students. “It taught me how to network and how to be the leader I am. TALONS laid the foundation for my success,” Simoes explained, noting how the program gave him the necessary confidence to pursue graduate school.
His campus involvement doesn’t stop there – Simoes also supported programming in the Multicultural Center and was part of the Administration & Communications Committee of the Cultural Engagement Ospreys internship program, where he and a cohort of student leaders designed, marketed and implemented the annual Empowered Leadership Conference.
As an orientation leader, I always tell students, if there’s not a club you like, you can always make your own. It taught me how to network and how to be the leader I am. TALONS laid the foundation for my success."
In addition to leading the D&D club, Simoes served as president of the Catholic Campus Ministry, also known as the Newman Club. As the leader of these organizations, Simoes played a significant role in developing programming to encourage other students to become involved.
Being such a familiar face on campus, you may not know Andrew prefers to spend his downtime being much more introverted and winding down.
“I am a very reserved person, but I can be outgoing and energetic,” Simoes said, sharing his favorite way to pass the time is "to be by myself with my music and a good book.”
Following his time at ĢƵ, Simoes plans on pursuing a Master’s of Divinity.
“I chose this career path thanks to the wonderful professors at ĢƵ, specifically Edward Siecienski, who really helped me grow in my knowledge of religion, philosophy and theology,” Simoes said.
What will Simoes miss the most about ĢƵ? The special bonds he made right here on campus, saying, “I will miss all of the friends I made while I was here, and all of the opportunities ĢƵ has given me.”
