NACCAP Board Spotlight: Dr. Mildred Similton, Hickory Grove Christian School
In this episode of the Higher Education, Higher Purpose podcast Phil Cook and Heidi Sturm sit down with Dr. Mildred Similton, the Administrator for Student Services at Hickory Grove Christian School. Dr. Similton shares her unique faith journey and how a transformative experience in her young adult life led her to a profound commitment to Christian education. She outlines her engagement with NACCAP, the enriching professional development opportunities, and the powerful sense of community she found in the organization.
Join us this week as Phil, Heidi, and Dr. Similton discuss how to best support students, prepare them for college, and the significant role of faith in Christian education.
Quote:
"I think the work that we do as Christian education professionals is impactful. The hard part is that we don't always see the end product of what the Lord is doing, but he's certainly doing it and he's working it out. I think just staying encouraged and staying in there with our young people, with our families, because the struggles are real for them.” -Dr. Mildred Similton [19:20]
What You Will Learn:
(00:00) Introducing Dr. Similton and Her Role in Education
(02:02) The Journey from Theater Kid to NACCAP Board Member
(04:22) Psychology to Christian Education
(09:04) Finding Community and Purpose in Christian Education
(12:03) Faith Journey from Childhood to Adulthood
(14:39) Faith and Professional Development in Christian Education
Resources:
Visit our website: https://www.naccap.org
Email us: Office@naccap.org
Visit The NACCAP Annual Conference: https://naccapconference.org
Transcript
Welcome to the Higher Ed Higher Purpose podcast, a podcast designed for NACAP members, prospective students, and their families.
Phil Cook:Well, hello, everyone.
Phil Cook:Welcome to another episode of Nacapp's higher education higher purpose podcast.
Phil Cook:My name is Phil Cook.
Heidi Sturm:And I'm Heidi Sturm.
Phil Cook:And on behalf of Heidi and I, we're so pleased to bring you features and highlights on NAtCAP members who support what we do.
Phil Cook:And we figured we'd start with Heidi and Mai's boss.
Phil Cook:So today and our last episode, another episode, we're talking to members of our board of directors.
Phil Cook:So we're so thrilled to have Doctor Mildred simultaneous with us.
Phil Cook:Mildred, good morning.
Phil Cook:How are you today?
Mildred Simonton:Good morning.
Mildred Simonton:I'm well.
Mildred Simonton:Thank you for having me.
Phil Cook:Well, we appreciate that you're here.
Phil Cook:I need to do the formal introduction just so people know and get to the full scope of who you are.
Phil Cook:I won't read the whole bio, but you are the administrator for student services at Hickory Grove Christian School in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Phil Cook:You, overseas assessment, student center for Advancement, academic Assessment, assessment placement guidance, transitioning and college guidance.
Phil Cook:That's a whole lot.
Phil Cook:Doctor simultane graduated from Pfeiffer with a degree in psychology and theater.
Phil Cook:We got to talk about that in just a second, Mildred.
Phil Cook:A master's degree from UNC Charlotte in IO psychology and a PhD from North Carolina State University in psychology.
Phil Cook:Mildred has been a college professor.
Phil Cook:She's been a head of school, upper school principal.
Phil Cook:She still teaches now for one of Christian University teaching graduate level counseling courses.
Phil Cook:And she's the wife of Dale Simonton and simultaneous and the mother of two boys, both of whom are graduates of christian universities.
Phil Cook:Mildred, we're so glad you're here, and we're so glad you're a part of Natcap.
Mildred Simonton:Thank you.
Mildred Simonton:Thanks for having me again.
Phil Cook:Well, I'm just going to jump in and say, okay, we learned about you.
Phil Cook:We've known each other for a few years, but, and in particular the last three years with our service to NatCaP.
Phil Cook:But in reading your bio in preparation for this theater, who knew?
Phil Cook:Tell me about, how were you a theater kid in high school?
Phil Cook:Did you do it in cyber?
Phil Cook:Tell us some theater stories.
Mildred Simonton:Yeah, sure I will.
Mildred Simonton:I fell into theater about my junior year of high school.
Mildred Simonton:Just came out of nowhere and decided to take a class and enter the acting class and just kind of fell in love with it and did a couple of shows.
Mildred Simonton:And then it was that time that I actually, my mom actually shared with me the cheat on theater in high school.
Mildred Simonton:So I guess it was just kind of in the blood but, yeah, I did.
Mildred Simonton:Fell in love with it and then went off to college and double majored in theater and psychology.
Mildred Simonton:But I tell you, I was all in for theater.
Mildred Simonton:That was like the game plan, right?
Mildred Simonton:But until about senior year, when you figure out, okay, you need a more realistic game plan here.
Mildred Simonton:So then it became a hobby, you know, I did a little acting on the side, extras and a couple of films, that kind of thing while in high school and college.
Mildred Simonton:Yeah, here I am today.
Phil Cook:I always felt like you were famous.
Phil Cook:I could just tell.
Phil Cook:I was like, Mildred, I just know.
Phil Cook:Do you have a favorite role that stands out, that maybe not a featuring role, but just something that you did, maybe favorite production that you did?
Phil Cook:Did you do musicals as well?
Phil Cook:Do you sing a little?
Phil Cook:Did you do all of that?
Mildred Simonton:Yeah, I did all of that.
Mildred Simonton:You had to do it all as a theater major.
Mildred Simonton:So I did all of it.
Mildred Simonton:Probably my claim to fame, I like to have fun with this with my friends, is that I was an extra in the color purple, the first color purple film.
Mildred Simonton:Yeah.
Mildred Simonton:For like, really?
Mildred Simonton:Oprah.
Phil Cook:Oprah.
Mildred Simonton:That was second, maybe.
Mildred Simonton:Yeah, that one with Oprah.
Mildred Simonton:Yeah.
Mildred Simonton:Wow.
Mildred Simonton:It was actually, you know, it's filmed right, in North Carolina, and so they were always looking for extras, and I got a couple of stints there, so that was a lot of fun.
Phil Cook:Yeah.
Phil Cook:Well, we're.
Heidi Sturm:Well, now we're gonna have to watch it and look for you.
Phil Cook:I have a friend of mine who was, I have a friend of mine who was in Forrest Gump, and I don't know if you remember the forced gump where they're playing ping pong.
Phil Cook:Well, he was one of the injured veterans in the background, so I always watched and paused it and like, oh, there's Jeff.
Phil Cook:Yay.
Phil Cook:But we'll find.
Phil Cook:We need to do that as a Natcap staff exercise.
Phil Cook:Find the Natcap board member in the color purple.
Phil Cook:That would be awesome.
Phil Cook:So.
Phil Cook:And we could also maybe sing a little.
Phil Cook:We won't do this the next time we have a podcast with Mildred.
Phil Cook:We'll do some singing.
Phil Cook:But that's so fun to know that, Mildred.
Phil Cook:And that's a fun size.
Phil Cook:But you also, I mean, you have a psychology background.
Phil Cook:You teach psychology at the graduate level.
Phil Cook:Talk about a little bit about just your academic preparation, what you're doing in terms of your world now, just your career.
Phil Cook:Give us some.
Phil Cook:Let us let our listeners know what Mildred's done from a career standpoint as it relates to christian education.
Mildred Simonton:Sure.
Mildred Simonton:Absolutely.
Mildred Simonton:I mean, psychology was another one of those areas.
Mildred Simonton:I sort of fell into, you know, a lot of folks fall into psychology because they want to help people.
Mildred Simonton:And I do remember my high school guidance counselor, the maybe 15 minutes meeting I had with him, just the one, my whole high school career, asking me what I wanted to do.
Mildred Simonton:And it was like, I want to help people, and so I want to major in psychology.
Mildred Simonton:So it kind of all started there.
Mildred Simonton:And, you know, when I was leaving, I did my undergrad work at Pfeiffer University.
Mildred Simonton:And as I was leaving there, trying to sort out where I knew I didn't want to do clinical psychology.
Mildred Simonton:So I really just started picking up those old fashioned graduate school catalogs and started kind of thumbing through different schools and majors and stumbled upon industrial and organizational psychology at the same time.
Mildred Simonton:And this is kind of an example of the importance of importance of the people that God places in our lives at the same time, I'm looking, trying to figure it out.
Mildred Simonton:Our academic dean at the time, Mike Ryman, gotten to know him a little bit.
Mildred Simonton:And at Pfeiffer at the time, it wasn't, the faculty wasn't have a lot of cultural diversity.
Mildred Simonton:And so he came to me and made an offer, and he is like, I know you love Pfeiffer.
Mildred Simonton:You've done great here.
Mildred Simonton:Here you're going to grad school.
Mildred Simonton:We'd be willing to pay for it if you come back and teach here.
Mildred Simonton:And I'm like, sign me up.
Mildred Simonton:And, you know, that's how that education, that was not the plan.
Mildred Simonton:I wasn't going to be an education.
Mildred Simonton:That certainly was not the plan.
Mildred Simonton:But that's how star, just God just started this trajectory toward where I am now.
Mildred Simonton:And so went off to grad school, then headed right back to Pfeiffer and began teaching psychology.
Mildred Simonton:And I will tell you what I really fell in love with is working with students, particularly during those young adult years.
Mildred Simonton:It's just, like, pouring into their lives.
Mildred Simonton:Pfeiffer was a secular and is a secular university, has a background in the Methodist church, but not a christian college by any means.
Mildred Simonton:But it was also that time of my life when I was really exploring, like, personally who I was.
Mildred Simonton:And God, again, was just kind of laying the foundation for when I didn't become a believer until after I left there.
Mildred Simonton:But I can certainly see how he was working throughout the course of that.
Mildred Simonton: t opportunity there for about: Phil Cook:Well, before every episode that we do, Heidi and I talk about, okay, Heidi, we're going to rotate questions and she's like, Phil, you're ever going to let me ask a question?
Phil Cook:So I'm sorry, Heidi, but you said a couple things there.
Phil Cook:First of all, that get me fired up.
Phil Cook:Serving students, it's who we are, it's what we do, it's who you are.
Phil Cook:And you found, and you found we've not found success.
Phil Cook:But boy, there's something about the calling to serve students.
Phil Cook:Is that your, why still?
Phil Cook:Is that what carries you every day, Mildred, to do what you're doing in your work every day and ultimately with NACAP as well?
Mildred Simonton:Yeah, it certainly is.
Mildred Simonton:And again, I, you know, here in my current position and working, you know, I transitioned after about twelve years into the high school arena because I saw the need to get ahold of young hearts like before they get to the college environment.
Mildred Simonton:And so that was really a ministry related move.
Mildred Simonton:By that time I was a believer and wanted to be able to really speak Christ into young people's lives a little more purposefully, and so transitioned to high school and here in my various roles, and I've always really worked administratively, but usually I would teach a class as well just to keep those connection points with young people.
Mildred Simonton:My passion in all that I do here in secondary Ed is really the guidance piece, the career and college guidance piece.
Mildred Simonton:And so that keeps me in touch with students, students and just sitting down and having those conversations.
Mildred Simonton:I've got a sign on my door right now, don't knock because I know somebody will come by.
Mildred Simonton:Because it's that time of year, right, when our seniors have lots of questions and challenges and their stressors, and so they need to be able to sit down and a lot of them just talk through what's going on.
Mildred Simonton:So yeah, that definitely is a, continues to be a driver for me, just pouring into hearts and lives.
Heidi Sturm:That's fantastic.
Heidi Sturm:And I'm sure the all of your students appreciate you so much because there is that care level there.
Heidi Sturm:You really, truly care about your students.
Heidi Sturm:You're listening to the higher ed, higher purpose podcast.
Heidi Sturm:So when thinking about how you got to where you are today, how did you first find out about Naccap?
Heidi Sturm:What was your first introduction?
Heidi Sturm:What made you want to get involved with Naccap?
Mildred Simonton:So it was in my role.
Mildred Simonton:A few years ago, I was serving as an upper school principal in a smaller christian school.
Mildred Simonton:Those environments, you have a love and a hate relationship with them because they're small, like 150 students.
Mildred Simonton:So you do everything right.
Mildred Simonton:But the best part is that they're small and you really get to care for your students and do some really unique things.
Mildred Simonton:And, you know, I got, like, a random communication from Anderson University in South Carolina.
Mildred Simonton:It was an invitation to a fly in drive in.
Mildred Simonton:And that was my first, like, knowledge of, oh, what's this organization?
Mildred Simonton:And I didn't make it to that fly in that year, but I got an invitation every year.
Mildred Simonton:And in the process, before I actually got to Anderson to one of their fly ins, had transitioned to a larger christian school that was already very involved with NICAP and that was Covenant day school in Matthews.
Mildred Simonton:And there worked with a director of guidance who just really understood, understood christian education and college guidance from a christian perspective and got a really good introduction to NACCAP.
Mildred Simonton:When I transitioned here, it's the first thing we did.
Mildred Simonton:I told the guidance counselor, we have to join Natcap.
Mildred Simonton:And so we began to get involved.
Mildred Simonton:And that's when I went to my first annual conference at Southeastern.
Mildred Simonton:And I remember walking across the campus during the conference and thinking, these are my people.
Mildred Simonton:And it was the first time I was kind of immersed in that professional development experience, experience that was biblically Christ oriented.
Mildred Simonton:And yeah, I was hooked.
Phil Cook:I don't know if you, if you, I don't know if you're.
Phil Cook:I know your son, one of your sons, I know is an athlete and I don't know, but it's like volleyball.
Phil Cook:We're supposed to set you up and let you spike at home, but, but you're doing it to me again.
Phil Cook: eople, my first experience in: Phil Cook:You talked about that.
Phil Cook:You.
Phil Cook:Well, first of all, let me say to everyone listening, we're with Doctor Mildred simultaneous, who's part of the board of directors here at NACAP and just sharing her story, her work and going to get to your faith journey in just a second.
Phil Cook:But part of our executive committee, I don't know if, unfortunately or not, Mildred, we've done so much work with the governance committee and that work has fallen to Mildred and the lion's share of what we're doing.
Phil Cook:I don't know whose fault that is by all that's going on with NACAP and all the things that we're doing.
Phil Cook:But we're so pleased that you're here sharing with us and we're terribly grateful for your expertise, your knowledge, your excellence and the grace and steadiness that you bring to Natcap.
Phil Cook:I'm personally grateful for that.
Phil Cook:And Natcap is better because you're part of us now.
Phil Cook:Enough of the accolades for now.
Phil Cook:But I would say you talked about coming to faith after Pfeiffer.
Phil Cook:So many folks, so many believers are reared in a home that know about the Lord, that know about God.
Phil Cook:You talk about Jesus, but I didn't know this part of your journey.
Phil Cook:So your faith journey was after college.
Phil Cook:Can you share a little bit about coming to know the Lord and the role it plays in your life now?
Mildred Simonton:Absolutely.
Mildred Simonton:So, yeah, I grew up in a home, single mom, and we were kind of Christmas, Easter, maybe Thanksgiving, but definitely Mother's day kind of church attenders.
Mildred Simonton:But, you know, it was, oh, gosh, maybe fifth grade back in the day, and a gentleman from a church down the road, he would drive around the neighborhood in a white man.
Mildred Simonton:Now tell me when, these days, a middle aged white man cannot drive through a neighborhood looking for kids to come to church in a white van.
Mildred Simonton:But that's what he did.
Mildred Simonton:And that was really my first, really, introduction to getting involved.
Mildred Simonton:He invited us.
Mildred Simonton:Our parents said yes.
Mildred Simonton:He picked us up on Sundays.
Mildred Simonton:It all started with Sunday school.
Mildred Simonton:I did that for years, and when I got, you know, in college.
Mildred Simonton:College is just a crazy time of life.
Mildred Simonton:It's, you know, lots of development going on.
Mildred Simonton:But no matter what was going on, if there was a tough time, our chapel was open 24 hours, you know, all the time.
Mildred Simonton:And I would find myself sitting in a dark chapel, you know, there in those difficult times.
Mildred Simonton:And I really kind of draw back to that beginning in the fifth grade at that little church, learning about scripture, that kind of thing.
Mildred Simonton:And then as I got into my young adult life, you know, attended a church with my great aunt, who was like a grandmother, and, you know, started going kind of sporadically.
Mildred Simonton:Got married really early, like, right after graduating from college.
Mildred Simonton:That was not a fun experience, and that drew me to the Lord, and I went right back to that church.
Mildred Simonton:It was a great pastor and his wife and, you know, gave my heart to the Lord in their living room at a women's event on an April afternoon and Saturday afternoon in April.
Mildred Simonton:And it was on, you know, that's all I needed and just had some great women around me throughout that journey.
Mildred Simonton:And it was when I left Pfeiffer.
Mildred Simonton:By that time, I knew the Lord, so I knew that I wanted to serve in christian education, and that's when I went to that little, you know, christian school.
Mildred Simonton:And indian trail is where it was located at the time that was starting a high school program.
Mildred Simonton:And so my faith was new, and, you know, you have that excitement and that energy about.
Mildred Simonton:I wasn't interested in segmenting my life like this is who I am on Sundays or at church, and this is who I am in terms of what I, where I work.
Mildred Simonton:I was really interested in going all out for the Lord and, you know, just was able to develop also a good community of colleagues and christian education around me as well.
Mildred Simonton:And, you know, really don't have any interest in leaving.
Mildred Simonton:I'll do what the Lord wants me to do.
Mildred Simonton:But, you know, for now, it's just about living out the role he has me in right now.
Phil Cook:Come on.
Phil Cook:This is worth, the segment has already been worth the time of your listening today.
Phil Cook:And whether you're driving or sitting at your desk listening to milder talking today, so much wisdom.
Phil Cook:And this is peculiar to say, but thank the Lord for a guy in a van looking for students in this case, right?
Mildred Simonton:Absolutely.
Phil Cook:In today's times to think about that.
Phil Cook:But I'm so glad he did that, Heidi.
Heidi Sturm:Yeah, and I'll say the other day we were talking with Tony and he had a similar story about a bus that would pick him up and take him to church.
Heidi Sturm:And just, you just never know the people that you're reaching.
Heidi Sturm:I love it.
Heidi Sturm:So we're going to go back to kind of talking through some of just Nac hap and your first introduction, talking about the fly in drive in.
Heidi Sturm:First of all, what is a fly in drive in for people who may be listening and don't know?
Heidi Sturm:And then what are some of the other membership benefits of NATCAP?
Mildred Simonton:Sure.
Mildred Simonton:So I love flying drive ins as well as my high school colleagues.
Mildred Simonton:Those are great opportunities that are sponsored.
Mildred Simonton:It's a partnership between NACAP and christian universities.
Mildred Simonton:And so they invite guidance counselors, not just christian high schools, really christian and secular high schools.
Mildred Simonton:I've met many secular colleagues that love the Lord, that are great to partner with.
Mildred Simonton:But we all come into those events to learn about the university, of course, who is hosting it, but also to develop ourselves professionally to enrich what we do so that we can serve our students better.
Mildred Simonton:Other than learning about the specific universities that's hosting, probably the richest part is just coming with that community of believers who are doing the work that you are doing and being able to share challenges, successes, failures, whatnot, and just building community with those folks.
Mildred Simonton:So I have been able to build through flying drive ins in this guidance work a network of professionals throughout this country.
Mildred Simonton:And it has been fabulous.
Mildred Simonton:I don't know of any other way or any other means of professional development to do that in the way I've done it.
Mildred Simonton:I think last year I was on six or seven different college campuses throughout.
Phil Cook:The year all over the country.
Phil Cook:I love those.
Mildred Simonton:Have been great.
Mildred Simonton:And there are other wonderful opportunities for my high school folks in particular.
Mildred Simonton:You know, we have the counselor boot camps that are really great for those new guidance counselors who are new to the profession.
Mildred Simonton:We have those, the counselor certification program that my guidance counselor here at Hickory Grove has gone through, that she went through as soon as we joined, she became a part of that.
Mildred Simonton:And also our admissions director here at Hickory Grove has also gone through that certification program.
Mildred Simonton:Also, of course, we all love the fairs, the college fairs and being able to host NCAP college fairs and getting 25 to 35 admissions reps from christian colleges on our campus for a morning or an evening to interact with our parents and students is so invaluable because it does take work to help to cultivate amongst our students and families a desire and an interest and a commitment to higher ed christian education.
Mildred Simonton:Yeah.
Mildred Simonton:So, yeah, those are just a few of the benefits.
Mildred Simonton:But, you know, it's wonderful for us.
Phil Cook:And we were really growing in our k twelve membership, Mildred.
Phil Cook:We're so proud of that because we bring those two constituencies together.
Phil Cook:And like you said, like the college fairs, our college, our council boot camp is going on now.
Phil Cook:College Fair started this week all around the country.
Phil Cook:And so we appreciate you highlighting, mentioning those things.
Phil Cook:I can't believe it's time to wrap up.
Phil Cook:We were intentional about this.
Phil Cook:We did like a good 20 minutes sermon.
Phil Cook:You know, I've been to a few churches where the pastor will cram a, you know, a 15 minutes sermon into 45 minutes.
Phil Cook:You know, you don't want to go those.
Phil Cook:But Mildred, when I first met you, it was in a church, a common church, that we both know, and I know that you mentioned your faith, but you mentioned your work.
Phil Cook:I don't know of too many of our members, certainly our board members, that have their professional lives in both worlds.
Phil Cook:So you're working every day with high school students, you're teaching college students.
Phil Cook:I just wonder about just general encouragement to two groups, maybe students and families out there as they're navigating the college decision process, but also to your colleagues out there, just your peers, maybe just one, just a word of encouragement, maybe thoughts about where we are and what the Lord is doing or what you see in the industry and how you're serving and helping those families and students.
Mildred Simonton:Yeah, absolutely.
Mildred Simonton:You know, this is a really challenging time for us as a people, you know, not as christian people, just, but as people in general in society.
Mildred Simonton:But it's an exciting time as well.
Mildred Simonton:I think it is a very meaningful time.
Mildred Simonton:And I think the work that we do as christians, education professionals is impactful.
Mildred Simonton:You know, the hard part is that we don't always see the end product of what the Lord is doing, but he's certainly doing it and he's working it out.
Mildred Simonton:And I think just staying encouraged and, you know, just staying in there with our young people, in our families, the struggles are real for them.
Mildred Simonton:I would not give anything to be an 18 year old, 19 year old.
Mildred Simonton:I'll just stay where I am right now.
Mildred Simonton:But it is a different time.
Mildred Simonton:So, but it, so it is important for us to really dig into our partnerships and just remind one another and remind them regardless of where our young people and even our parents are in their faith.
Mildred Simonton:Well, just constant reminders that faith is important.
Mildred Simonton:It is important, and it should guide everything that we do.
Phil Cook:Doctor Mildred simultaneous, Hickory Grove Christian School.
Phil Cook:We're so glad that you're a part of what we do.
Phil Cook:The students there that benefit from your expertise all over the country.
Phil Cook:And Natcat Mildred, thanks for joining us.
Phil Cook:We will see you soon at a fly in drive, and I know very soon, but thank you for your work time with us.
Heidi Sturm:Thank you, Mildred.
Mildred Simonton:You're welcome.
Mildred Simonton:Thank you.
Mildred Simonton:My pleasure.
Heidi Sturm:Be sure to join us next time for the higher ed, higher purpose podcast.
