My first interaction with Professor Simon was when I was considering switching into the PR major. I can still see his face, which was so happy and joyful toward someone he had never met, but that is what defined him. He was a professor, yes, but he was also a mentor and a friend. It is a special and...

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I had to be in one of his class and being called by him as the "beloved." To me, he was always passionate and energetic. He used to encourage us in every class by saying, "I'm gonna bless you today! And do you know why? Because the good Lord loves you!" He...

Nearly two years ago, I was a girl from Singapore who had no idea if I was going to be able to succeed as an international student, much less a journalist. Somewhere deep in me, I had hope, a hidden, unknown hope, that I would succeed and that everything would magically end up okay. Professor Simon saw...

I wasn’t done. Sitting and talking, learning and growing, being mentored by such a good and faithful servant to the “Good Lord.” Simon was a man who lived out the message of the Gospel daily. He didn’t just talk about death, but he talked about life after death. How joyful he’d be the day he...

After leaving my first class with Professor Simon, I somehow knew that despite the many fears of entering a new chapter of life, there was friendship, encouragement and hope to be found. For me and many of Professor Simon’s students, those joys and virtues were things he embodied—in his sacrificial...

Dear Professor Simon, Boy. I came into your Foundations course with zero prior journalistic experience. I was a shy, angsty girl who thought she liked writing. You opened your class so quick to tell of how much you “loved, cared and sought to be intentional with us.” You played “Getting...

Dear Professor Simon, If I could say one last thing to you it would be "thank you." I remember walking into your classroom last semester not knowing what to expect. You greeted us with an enormous amount of love and energy. I have never in my life met someone who just exudes positivity the way that...

It was the middle of my first semester of college, and I was scared. Scared that I was not making any real friends. Scared that journalism was not really for me. Scared at the realization of just how shallow my faith in Christ had become. And in the middle of it all, I got this note from you:   Austin, you...

My early life was not easy. Going into my preteen and teen years, I was bitter, angry and I questioned why God would allow terrible things to happen to me. Your response to my snapshot paper is how I knew that you would have such a profound impact on my life. Healing and regaining hope is a process...

My time at Biola was brief. Two semesters was all I was able to internalize of the university before I transferred. I look back at my time and consider that year one of the best and worst personal times of my life. I will never forget how Will drew close to me during the ‘worst’ times. He pulled...

I will miss Professor Bill Simon, who welcomed me into the Journalism Program. His encouragement and support helped me during my first semester at Biola Professor Simon’s class was enjoyable with knowledgeable lectures and materials to guide me in my Christian field of Journalism. I will always remember...

It's hard to believe I only had a one-semester, one-credit class with Professor Simon, because the impact he had on me was at least as significant as if I had studied under him for all four years. As a professor, he was deeply knowledgeable and engaging, and I absolutely owe him much of the confidence...