Gloria Respress-Churchwell ’18MFA, MA uncovers the human heart inside history’s stories.
Whether she's writing picture books for young readers or directing documentaries, her focus remains the same: uncover enough narrative depth that every audience can find a way in.
"When you share a story, it shouldn't exist in just one dimension," Respress-Churchwell says. "It needs layers so that anyone — no matter how they enter a story — can find a personal connection."
That philosophy has defined her career as an award-winning author and filmmaker. Most recently, it guided her through LIMITLESS: The Dr. Chester Pierce Story, a documentary profiling pioneering psychiatrist, educator, researcher, and civil-rights advocate Dr. Chester Pierce.
With the endorsement of the Pierce family, the film was recently selected for the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival, where it is in contention for Best Documentary, helping introduce one of America's most influential yet underrecognized figures to a wider audience. The original motion picture soundtrack for LIMITLESS was also recently released, featuring contributions from acclaimed, award-winning artists.
For Respress-Churchwell, however, the path to LIMITLESS began years earlier in the classrooms of Simmons University.
Building a Foundation
Respress-Churchwell discovered the power of stories early in life. As a child, she found herself transported by books. Years later, as a mother of four, she witnessed how stories help children understand themselves, build confidence, and make sense of the world around them.
Those experiences led her to Simmons, where she enrolled in the dual-degree program to earn a Master of Arts in Children's Literature and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children.
"It encompasses so much," she says. "It brings in the history of children's literature as well as how to write a really strong story."
For Respress-Churchwell, Simmons provided both the structure to master her craft and the creative freedom to develop her own voice.
"There's a structure — you learn the classics — but it also allows creativity," she says. "It allows you to explore in ways you never thought possible. That's what helped me flourish at Simmons and gave me a solid foundation to further my craft in storytelling."
Receiving the Lee & Low Books Scholarship also proved equally transformative.
"It gave me the support and confidence to believe that I could become a writer," she says. "It also helped me understand the importance of giving with a purpose."
Along the way, she found mentors who challenged and encouraged her — including Karen Boss
'10MFA, senior editor at Charlesbridge Publishing and a longtime mentor in Simmons' MFA program.
Working closely with Boss through Simmons' mentorship program, Respress-Churchwell developed what would become Follow Chester!, an award-winning picture book published by Charlesbridge after her graduation.
Boss has mentored nearly 20 Simmons graduate students over the years, and Respress-Churchwell immediately stood out.
"Gloria's vision for the book was really strong from the beginning," Boss says. "She was really clear that she wanted Chester's story to be told and known. He was someone history could completely, utterly forget about, and Gloria simply said, 'No. I don't want that to happen.'"
From the Page to the Screen
Rather than attempting to tell Dr. Pierce's entire life in a picture book, she focused on a single defining moment: Harvard's 1947 football game against the University of Virginia, when Pierce became the first Black player to compete against an all-white team in the former Confederate South during the Jim Crow era.
While the athletic milestone was historic, Respress-Churchwell centered the story on something even more enduring — the loyalty of Pierce's teammates, who stood beside him as he faced discrimination and segregation.
"The real story wasn't just the football game," she says. "The real battle was fought before they ever stepped onto the field."
She wanted young readers to understand that true victories are often built on friendship, perseverance, and moral courage.
"Victory isn’t defined by reaching the destination," she says. "It’s found in the journey itself — in the people you meet and the relationships you build along the way. Those are what truly matter."
Boss believes Respress-Churchwell found a remarkable way to make a difficult chapter of American history accessible to young readers.
"She found a way to tell the story that is very kid-friendly," Boss says. "It asks kids: ‘When someone is being excluded, how do we stand up for them? How do we show the world that that's not okay?’"
Respress-Churchwell has seen that impact firsthand. During one elementary school visit, a teacher told her about a little girl who typically sat quietly in the back of the classroom whenever guest speakers visited. During Respress-Churchwell's presentation, the student came to the front of the room, eagerly raised her hand, and remained engaged throughout the discussion.
"The teacher was literally in tears," Respress-Churchwell recalls. "She told me she'd never seen her interact like that before. Moments like that remind me why I do this work. Experiences like that reaffirmed what she'd always believed: stories create connections.”
As Respress-Churchwell shared Follow Chester! in schools, libraries, and universities, audiences kept asking the same question: Why wasn't there more about Dr. Chester Pierce?
"At first, I'd tell them that it was a project for another writer," she says. "Then one day I realized, 'Wait, I make documentaries. I can tell this story.'"
That realization became LIMITLESS.
The documentary traces Pierce's remarkable life far beyond football — from groundbreaking work in psychiatry and sleep science to his pioneering research on microaggressions, his work with NASA astronauts, and his role as a senior consultant for Sesame Street.
"I discovered he was truly multidimensional," Respress-Churchwell says. "He had so many facets to his character; he was remarkably well-rounded."
Yet her goal isn't for audiences to admire Pierce from afar.
"There's only one Dr. Pierce," she says. "The idea is to be who you are and be inspired to be your best self."
The Next Chapter in Storytelling
Today, Respress-Churchwell is developing new film projects and children's books while continuing her search for stories that deserve a wider audience.
"I'm drawn to ordinary people who live extraordinary lives," she says. "There is so much we can learn from them."
Boss has watched her evolve from Simmons graduate student to published author and filmmaker and believes her success comes from pairing creativity with the determination to share her work with the world.
"Gloria has that rare balance," Boss says. "She's not just the creative creator. She also understands how to get her work out into the world."
To Simmons students ready to carve out their own journeys, Respress-Churchwell shares wisdom drawn from her experience.
"Dedicate yourself to learning all you can to excel at your craft," she advises. "But also remember to bring your whole, authentic self to everything you do. When you combine skill with authenticity, you create the ideal foundation for success."