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Gregory Maguire '78MA, best-selling author of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, reflects on his time as one of the first graduates of the Master of Arts in Children’s Literature program at Simmons, now celebrating its 50th anniversary.

• Careers and Internships

An early proponent of reproductive rights and a courageous advocate of racial, socioeconomic, and gender equity decades before the Civil Rights and Women’s Movements, Dr. Dorothy Celeste Boulding Ferebee, Class of 1920, was a visionary leader ahead of her time.

• 125th Anniversary
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Leadership
• Social Justice & Advocacy

In honor of the University’s 125th anniversary, we offer an in-depth chronicle of the life and legacy of founder John Simmons (1796–1870).

• 125th Anniversary
• Simmons History

A motivated advocate for social justice, Rayna Hill ’22MA/MPP is creating an equitable future for LGBTQ+ youth in the state of Massachusetts.

• LGBTQIA+
• Social Justice & Advocacy

In honor of the University’s 125th anniversary, we examine Barbara (Schneider) Margolis ’51 and her resolute commitment to rehabilitating incarcerated individuals. Barbara Margolis ’51, who majored in retail management (then retailing) at Simmons, became one of the nation’s most beloved prisoners’ rights advocates. Margolis developed rehabilitation and career-transition programs for male inmates at Rikers Island, the world’s largest penal complex (situated within the Bronx and accessible via a girder bridge in Queens).

• 125th Anniversary
• Simmons History
• Social Justice & Advocacy

Studio 5 constitutes the senior Capstone project for communications and public relations/marketing communications majors at Simmons. We take a closer look at the hands-on, experiential learning model of Studio 5, Simmons’ student-run communications agency.

• Careers and Internships
• Community Engagement

Siblings Nathan Samuels ’05MSN 11DNP; Ashley Samuels Shields ’10; Eryn Samuels Yong ’12; and Brittany Samuels Czerw ’14 all studied nursing at Simmons University. We caught up with them about how this trend began, how they support each other in their careers, and what they most value about their nursing careers.

• Careers and Internships

The Dotson Bridge and Mentoring Program pairs first-generation and other underrepresented nursing student mentees — called Scholars — with experienced Mentors (typically School of Nursing alumnae/i). Sasha DuBois ’08BSN has served as a mentor since the program began in 2009. LaDonna Christian ’16PhD became director of the program in 2010.

• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Mentorship

Anne Villano ’22MSW says her decision to enroll in Simmons’ School of Social Work was influenced by two key factors that also shaped volunteer service she engaged in while earning her degree – and her path since graduating: life experience and an affinity for advocacy.

• Careers and Internships
• Social Justice & Advocacy

Dr. Adrianna Nava “fights to ensure that nurses’ voices are heard in healthcare policy,” said Delmy Piano, Assistant Professor of Practice and Assistant Director of Simmons’ Dotson Bridge and Mentoring Program, when introducing the Dotson’s 2025 hybrid Lectureship Event on...

• Leadership
• Traditions & Annual Events