Oona Metz ’93MSW is a therapist who leads therapy groups and supports women in transition. We spoke with her about her new book on navigating divorce and the essential training she received at Simmons.

• Careers and Internships

The Office of Research and Fellowships has announced the recipients of the 2025–2026 Graduate Student Research Award. This competitive, cross-disciplinary award provides up to $1,500 to five doctoral and master’s degree candidates to conduct research in the fields of mental health, social work, children’s literature, and archival preservation.

• Awards and Honors
• Research

Kapr Bangura is the program director for the Therapeutic After-School Program at the Home for Little Wanderers, the oldest child-welfare organization in the country, focused on serving children who have experienced violence, neglect, and other forms of trauma. In this leadership role, Bangura oversees a strengths-based afterschool program designed to address the therapeutic, educational, and recreational needs of youth ages 12 to 18 and their families.

• Careers and Internships

Deyanira Gomera ’24MSW is a school-based clinician at Housing Families, Inc., a nonprofit in Malden, Massachusetts, that offers a range of programs for individuals and families in need of stable housing. In this role, Gomera works in partnership with Everett and Peabody public schools to provide group therapy to children and teens who are living in shelters.

• Careers and Internships

Diana Pelaez ’24MSW is a clinical social worker for the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) — the largest voluntary school-integration program in the country.

• Careers and Internships

Rachel Nyakako is a clinical social worker in the Children’s Hospital Primary Care Center (CHPCC) at Boston Children’s Hospital. She serves as a link for patients and families in need of mental and behavioral healthcare and resources.

• Careers and Internships

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

Josh Ozer ’24MSW is a clinical social worker at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston where he provides one-on-one counseling to patients as well as psychosocial support to their families and caregivers.

• Careers and Internships

January 21, 2025 — the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day — is the ninth annual National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH). Created by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, NDORH "is an opportunity to engage in collective action to create a more just and equitable world."

• Community Engagement
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Social Justice & Advocacy

To commemorate Simmons’ 125th anniversary, we spoke with Karen MacKenzie ’10, ’12MSW and her daughter Jennifer “Jen” DiRico ’12MBA about graduating alongside one another, Simmons’ spirit of inclusivity, and the formative power of a women-centered education.

• 125th Anniversary
• Adult Student (Dix Scholar)
• Leadership