Autobiographical Sketch

The life of Jake Simpson isn't one of great intrigue or suspense. I was born in a small town in Northwest Arkansas to a carpenter father and stay-at-home mother. We moved around most of my childhood, my dad going to where the booms in housing went.

I always excelled at school, getting straight A's through middle school. It was when I got to junior high that I began to find school boring and stifling. I didn't feel as though I was challenged enough. Nonetheless, I was able to get through high school with a B average, even though I scored a 31 on my ACT. During high school, I was an all-state basketball player.

My wife and I had our first child in September of 2006. We married in May of 2007. We were suriving, but barely. I always wanted to go back to college after I squandered away my full-ride scholarship. At that point, I was interested in going into business, but I had always had a pull toward education. My paternal grandparents were in education. My grandfather had even been a superintendent in the Chicago School District.

Ultimately, what caused me to pursue education was my philosophical beliefs. I believe that the school system is broken. Far too centralized and controlling over the individual's choices to be successful. So I enrolled at Western Governors University because I did not want to attend another brick and mortar college. It took years of hardwork, but I finally made it to where I've been striving.