Voices of Simmons

Lynette Cook-Francis: What Will You Become at Simmons?

Lynette Cook Francis

You will become part of a community that is caring, nurturing, challenging and empowering, and where you'll meet soulmates, friends, faculty and staff who will be with you every step of your journey to become the person you are meant to be.

When I started in September, I never imagined that I would be welcoming you to Simmons from a distance. These are unprecedented times but we are committed to helping you through the college decision process and showing you all that Simmons has to offer.

I thought about what I can say to you all who are wondering if Simmons is the place for you. I began to think about a book that I recently read called Becoming by Michelle Obama. It's about how Mrs. Obama started from humble beginnings in the southside of Chicago to become one of the most recognized and popular first ladies in the world. What inspired me about this book is that it shows that life is about an endless series of experiences, each of which helps you to become the person you are meant to be.

This made me think about the many students I have gotten to know here at Simmons and the stories they have told me about how they have grown and changed — the student ambassador who was once afraid to speak to people, the intramural softball player who didn’t think she could catch a ball. And it made me think about Simmons as a place...to become.

So, what will you become at Simmons?

You will become a citizen of the great city of Boston

You'll take the Boston course which is taken by all first-year students at Simmons and explores the city from multiple disciplines like "Boston Childhoods," "Sustainability in Boston" and "Race and Sports in Boston."

You'll spend the next four years exploring the city on weekends, checking out its historical sites, its nightlife, entertainment and incredible green spaces.

You'll become part of a university community of over 100,000 students, women and men, while you reap the benefits of being at a small women-centered institution where you're more than just a face in the crowd.

You'll come home to a beautiful campus, with beautiful community spaces to hang out with friends.

You will become a fierce advocate

You'll become an advocate for justice on a campus that strives every day to be more diverse, more fair and more inclusive. You'll find safe spaces — but you also will find brave spaces where your ideas will be challenged. You'll learn to engage in disagreement and debate effectively and responsibly.

You will become a person who is ready for work

This is a distinct feature of our Simmons mission: to prepare women to be ready to support themselves in whatever fields they choose.

The seniors and graduates I meet are all articulate, competent, interesting, focused people who employers can't wait to snap up. At Simmons, you'll connect to a network of alums across the world.   

You will become a leader

Whether it’s through one of over 80 clubs and organizations, through athletics, through our incredible international and national women's leadership conferences — which have included guest speakers such as Michelle Obama, Jane Goodall, Jameela Jamil, Hillary Clinton and Oprah — or through community and civic engagement, Simmons is a place to find your voice, to strengthen your voice, to amplify your voice.

You'll be in a place where women lead, from the president on down, and where women's voices are prominent.

But most of all, you will become part of a community that is caring, nurturing, challenging and empowering, and where you'll meet soulmates, friends, faculty and staff who will be with you every step of your journey to become the person you are meant to be.

All of us here at Simmons are really looking forward to being a part of your journey.

I know that when I was a kid growing up in New York City, I never expected this first-generation college student to become the person I am today. I can't wait to see who you become.

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Lynette Cook-Francis, Senior Vice President for Student Engagement and Enrollment Management

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