Shout-outs from Students and Alums
Family Support Through Care and Housing Support
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.
SLIS Alumnus Reexamines Misinformation
SLIS alumnus Matthew Connor Sullivan ’14MS, ’24PhD is a Librarian for Collection Development and Assessment at Harvard University’s Widener Library. We spoke with him about his interdisciplinary approach to library and information science (LIS) research and the formative mentorship he received at Simmons.
Congratulations to the 2025 SURPASs Scholars
Eight undergraduate scholars from disciplines across Simmons have been selected to join the Summer Undergraduate Research Program at Simmons (SURPASs). SURPASs students receive the necessary funding and mentorship to execute an independent research project of their own design.
Undergraduate Receives Prize from New England Poetry Club
Houley Koundourou ’28, a double major in Writing and Political Science, recently won the 2025 Victor Howes Prize in Poetry, awarded on behalf of the New England Poetry Club. We spoke with Koundourou about poetic inspiration, her Senegalese ancestry, and the value of a women’s-centered education.
Celebrating Online Degree Completion Graduates, Class of 2025
Felipa Arevalo 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.