Did you know that many Risepoint colleagues attend or graduate from the same universities where they support students every day? Denisia Simpkins, a Risepoint Senior Student Retention Specialist, is one of those teammates. This May, Denisia graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SE) with a Master of Education and Curriculum Instruction degree—an exciting and impressive accomplishment, made possible by her dedication to career advancement and the flexibility of online learning.
Why did you decide to pursue an advanced degree?
Denisia pursued the master’s program from SE for several reasons, the most important being affordability. Risepoint offers an employee tuition reimbursement program, which provides financial support to colleagues who attend partner universities. As of January 2025, at least 250 Risepoint colleagues participated in the tuition reimbursement program. This benefit, combined with the existing affordability of Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s programs, enticed Denisia to further her education.
Beyond affordability, Denisia preferred SE for its flexible eligibility requirements. This is a testament to Southeastern’s mission of expanding access for community-serving professionals.
“My coworker recommended the Southeastern program to me because she said that I didn’t need a teacher certification to complete the Master of Education and Curriculum Instruction degree… I also felt that it would be a personal achievement… when the time comes and I decide that I want to become a teacher, I can do alternative certification to become a teacher in Texas.”
How do you plan to leverage your new degree for your career?
Denisia has plans to become a teacher in the future, but while at Risepoint, she recognizes areas in her current role, and even in her personal life, where she can apply the skills that she earned in her master’s degree.
“The master’s would give me some additional skills to help me in the role that I’m in… I’ve reached out to the Learning and Development department to see if there are any projects that I can assist with so that I can start getting exposed to curriculum and development… I’m not a certified teacher, per se, but I do feel like I am a teacher in a sense because I do things with my grandkids and design lesson plans for them.”
“I have two elementary-aged grandchildren and I’m going to start a summer book club with them. I was reading the summer reading programs at the library and it sparked an idea – maybe I can do an ongoing book club with my grandkids! The little ones are in third and fourth grade, so “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” is at their age level. I figured, if I don’t go to their house, we could FaceTime each other and work on reading skills, and I make [reading] fun for them. We take turns reading and then ask questions about what we just read… instead of them just reading by themselves. I also incentivized this – I have a list of their favorite restaurants and am getting gift cards, Roblox gift cards, and Dollar Tree trinkets, so as we get to new levels, they get something.”
How did you balance your master’s studies with work and personal obligations?
The convenience of online learning made Denisia’s advanced degree possible. Without it, she wouldn’t have been able to balance studies with full-time work and time with her family and church activities.
“I preferred online because I have such a busy [life]. I take care of my mom, I have grandkids that I’m very active with, I have church, family, my husband, and work. I have a lot going on! So, I loved online… I did one class a term and I was able to focus on that one class and give it my all, instead of trying to take two classes at a time… Doing that, I was able to graduate with honors and had a 4.0 GPA!”
Thank you, Denisia, for all you do every day to support our partners’ students. We’re incredibly proud of you for continuing your own education, and with honors!
As a Senior Student Retention Specialist, Denisia spends her time at work ensuring that students at Risepoint partner universities have the support and resources they need to stay on track and graduate from their programs. Her experience in this role helped her continue through her studies at Southeastern, and as a partner student, she even had her own Retention Specialist who provided support along the way. Denisia’s peers and manager at Risepoint also provided virtual encouragement that helped her push through the hardest moments.
“[My Retention Specialist] checked on me through the Teams chat. We were on the same team, and she’d ask, ‘How are classes going?’ and we’d talk through IM… I would also cry on my manager’s shoulder a lot. My manager at the time, Garfield, would always say, ‘You can do it!’… My teammates all surrounded me, gave me virtual hugs, and encouraged me. Some of them would even proofread my papers!”
What is your risepoint?
We love to acknowledge our colleagues’ “risepoints” — the pivotal moments that chnage our trajectory for the better. For Denisia, her most important moments were those where she could be a role model to her children and grandchildren through advanced education.
“I was a young mother, and I did not go to college right away. It took me a few years to get my undergraduate degree [because] I took care of my kids and worked. When I earned my undergraduate degree, I said, ‘I can do this,’ and now my kids are looking up to me and they’ll see that I’m a role model to them and to my grandkids that are coming up.”
The heart of what we do at Risepoint is support university and student success – helping our partners’ students progress through their programs and ultimately graduate is inspiring. We’re especially excited to celebrate the accomplishments of our own colleagues who walk across the stage and earn a new degree. Congratulations, Denisia!
