125 Years of Excellence
The Simmons story could, of course, fill volumes. In this special edition of Simmons Magazine, we invite you to journey through time with a sampling of stories about people and moments that have helped define our community. They show how Simmons is indeed founded for equality, and built for now.
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.
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).
A motivated advocate for social justice, Rayna Hill ’22MA/MPP is creating an equitable future for LGBTQ+ youth in the state of Massachusetts.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
Simmons University Trustee Denise Coll ’95MBA credits her School of Management education with making a real difference in the success she had professionally in the hospitality industry. “And for that, I really wanted to give back. I hope other people...
Corrie Locke-Hardy '20MA combines her love of baking with social activism with her cookbook, The Revolution Will Be Well Fed.
What type of student are you?
What type of student are you?
What type of student are you?