Shout-outs from Students and Alums
Celebrating Online Degree Completion Graduates, Class of 2025
Elekcia Pimentel and Christina Orfanos are among the 2025 graduates in the Simmons Online Degree Completion Program for adult learners. We spoke to a few graduates about what the program meant to them.
The Story Listener
Breanna J. McDaniel ’14MA is the author of four acclaimed picturebooks and the recipient of the 2025 Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award. On July 26, McDaniel will present a presentation with author-illustrator Vashti Harrison at the Summer Children's Literature Institute at Simmons University.
Alumna Artist Featured in Authority Magazine
Simmons alumna and multidisciplinary artist Natasha Di Fiore ’03, ’08MBA was recently featured in a profile published in Authority Magazine. The daughter of Italian immigrants, Di Fiore embraces the values of collaboration, creativity, and resilience. Her artistic expertise spans fashion, music, modeling, and film.
Finding Purpose in School-Based Social Work
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.
Barbara Lee Fellows Intern at the Massachusetts State House
Simmons recently hosted a celebration for student participants in the Barbara Lee Fellowship, an internship program that pairs Simmons students with female-identifying senators and representatives at the Massachusetts State House.
Immersed in Art and Stories in Bologna, Italy
Students in the Children’s Literature Master’s Programs at Simmons visited the 2025 Bologna Book Fair, held from March 31 to April 3 in Bologna, Italy.
Computer Science Researchers Develop Humanitarian Software
As part of Simmons’ Faculty-Student Collaborative Fellowship program, computer science majors Maleehah Africawala ’25, Fayza Beshir ’25, Emily Douglas ’25, and Megan McNamara ’25 worked under the supervision of Professor Nanette Veilleux to develop humanitarian software for Simmons’ REEF Support Center.
Experiencing the Magic of Children’s Literature
Evgenia Mantikas ’25MFA reflects on her graduate experience in the Children's Literature program at Simmons.