Simmons College

One of my favorite parts of my job is being the advisor to OLA. Simmons College's group Organización Latina América has been around since the late 1960's. At the time, this organization was a part of BSO's group because the students wanted Simmons College to support the students of color. After 40 years much has changed. OLA is now its own group and is creating events and opportunities for dialogue. One major event during Hispanic Heritage Month has been planning and creating a retreat for the students of OLA. This is the first time this group has held a retreat! Here are some of the activities the students took part of and I helped organize:

You can walk around the Res Campus almost any night of the week, and it's not hard to come across the talent and creativity Simmons students possess. Whether it's an open-mic at Quadside, a dance rehearsal in Alumnae, or even students just practicing in their room or hall - this campus has talent! That vocal and dance talent was all on display at the 7th Annual Student Performance Showcase, part of the Simmons Family and Friends Weekend. The showcase included performances by The Simmons College Concert Choir, the Simmons College Dance Company, The Simmons Sirens, and The Simmons-Wheelock Gospel Choir, and this lineup had something for everyone.

Ever taken a photo with a film camera? Ever wondered how to use the "manual" settings on a camera? When I arrived at Simmons, I wasn't sure if people even used film cameras anymore and I certainly had no idea how to use the manual settings on a camera. Now as a junior, teaching people how to use a film camera is my job!

To the surprise of many, Simmons offers an array of photography classes ranging from introductory courses in digital and traditional photography to more advanced classes such as documentary and contemporary photography. We even have our own digital printing photography lab and a complete darkroom. Who knew, right?

Photography is everywhere (textbooks, Facebook, posters, magazines, billboards, etc) and prevalent on our campus. I mean, it's pretty hard not to Instagram a picture of our good looking campus or take a group photo with your friends! Not only are students using or seeing photos in their every day life but we have students at Simmons with some amazing photography projects and businesses. Take a moment to check out some photographers at Simmons!

Photo credits (in order from top to bottom):

Untitled, photo by Taylor Paige Photography

Ariel, photo by Kate Michaud from the "Damsels of Disney" project

Victory Garden, photo by Ariella Brown

If you are commuting to Simmons, a job, or an internship, how do you plan to get there? Commuting around Boston presents its own challenges and benefits, so think about which mode of transportation makes the most sense for you.

Before coming to Simmons, I spent a year commuting by car to my local community college. Then, for my first semester at Simmons, I lived in an apartment a few miles from campus. I soon learned that driving in Boston can be painfully slow and expensive. So I traveled mostly by bicycle, and sometimes by the T. When I moved onto the residence campus I used Hubway bikes to get to and from my internship in downtown Boston.

Have you ever wondered what exactly makes Dean of Student Life Sarah Neill tick? I had the wonderful opportunity to ask Sarah some hard-hitting questions to really get to the bottom of what exactly makes her so incredibly fabulous.

Do you think aliens exist?
Yes, but only alien babies.

What's Emmett's favorite book?
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak

Simmons College is a great place to explore new interests. I began my first year at Simmons clueless of what to study. With so many majors and minors to choose from, there were days I felt like studying mathematics, and other days political science seemed intriguing. I occasionally felt nervous about being undeclared, especially under the pressure of classmates who found their passions years before coming to college.

I soon learned that I had plenty of time to decide, and that Simmons is a great place to be for a student who is still seeking a major. At summer orientation I met my adviser, a professor from the mathematics department. Your advisor is there to help you find a track, and stay on that track to graduate. She helped me to select my courses for the semester, most of which fulfilled the required Modes of Inquiry. Like general education courses, taking one course in each mode challenges students to think outside their major, provides a broad educational background, and helps undeclared students to explore subjects.