Student Opportunities and Resources
Our students are serious and curious — daring to ask questions that have never been asked before. Driven by a desire for justice as well as professional achievement, our students focus on inclusive cultural analysis and interpretation, developing a comprehensive understanding of history, literature, the arts, languages, and communication.
Opportunities
Student-Driven Media
In the Gwen Ifill School, we believe in student-driven media as a means of carrying on Gwen Ifill’s legacy by preparing the next generation to foster an informed and creative public.
Current productions include communications and literary magazines, student radio station and newspaper, and a client-based professional communications studio.
Ifill Scholarships
Ifill Scholarships are awarded to students in The Gwen Ifill School who display academic excellence and vast potential inside the classroom and beyond.
Learn more about the Ifill Scholarship Program
Graduate Student Professional Development Fund
The Ifill School Graduate Student Professional Development Fund provides financial assistance to graduate students who are presenting original work (scholarly or creative) at academic or professional conferences or whose research for thesis or independent projects (scholarly or creative) requires funding.
Resources
Simmons University provides a variety of resources to our students. Here are a few that are used by many students in the Gwen Ifill School.
Ifill School CommLab
In the Ifill School Labs, we are committed to providing a collaborative and safe space for students to complete their communications and Media-based coursework. Students in the department often find themselves spending a lot of time in the labs and we work hard to ensure the space feels like a home away from home.
The Center for the Study of Children's Literature
The Center for the Study of Children's Literature supports and advances the study of children's and young adult literature through nationally recognized programs and partnerships.
The Summer Children's Literature Institute
Since 1975, the biennial Summer Children's Literature Institute has gathered to advocate, explore, and celebrate literature for young people through a single thematic lens.
The Trustman Art Gallery
Given in honor of Julia Myerson Trustman, ’24, by her husband, Benjamin, the Trustman Art Gallery exhibits the work of professional artists and has a yearly exhibition of student work from the Department of Art and Music. The gallery presents diverse and engaging art and programming that supports academic and curricular goals across the University and provides professional opportunities for students.
Meet our Students
Simmons Welcomes Passionate Leaders Project Scholars for Spring 2024
The Passionate Leaders Project (PLP) supports Simmons undergraduates by enriching their academic and professional interests beyond the boundaries of a conventional classroom. Students may request up to $4,000 to support their research, internships, and creative endeavors. This semester’s cohort comprises student-scholars producing original research on healthcare for seniors, fashion sustainability, and the intersection of the arts, social justice, and gender-expansive agency.
Passionate Leaders Project: Spring 2023 Cohort
The Passionate Leaders Project (PLP) supports Simmons undergraduates by enriching their academic and professional interests beyond the confines of the classroom. Students may request up to $4,000 to support their research, internships, and creative endeavors. This semester's cohort is producing...
Shayla McJunkin '21: Gwen Ifill Made the Impossible Seem Possible
Congratulations to Shayla McJunkin '21, recipient of the Ifill Scholarship!