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On September 26, Elissa Gershowitz ’00MA, Editor-in-Chief of The Horn Book, received a Mentor Award at the Carle Honors ceremony in New York City. Bestowed by The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art these annual awards celebrate individuals and organizations who have elevated the art of children’s picture-book making.

• Awards and Honors

Rodney Fierce ’12MA, a Humanities Teacher at Sonoma Academy, shares what led him to study children’s literature, his work at the Academy, and his recent experience on the Horn Book Awards Committee.

• Awards and Honors
• Leadership

Amy Thrall Flynn 95’MA, ’21MA, Senior Literary Agent of Aevitas Creative Management, has been named “Agent of the Month” (for October 2024) by Writing and Illustrating, a blog devoted to children’s literature authors and illustrators.

• Awards and Honors

Stacy Whitman '05MA celebrates the first anniversary of her brick and mortar bookstore, Curious Cat Bookshop in Winsted, CT, with an article in the CT Insider.

• Careers and Internships

Oksana Hradyska ’12 recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of her successful non-profit, Sitters for Scholars. Hradyska founded the organization as a free babysitting service in 2014, in response to the lack of affordable and reliable childcare for parents attending college. The services were later expanded for low-income, single-parent families.

• Entrepreneurship

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Children’s Literature Program at Simmons, we caught up with Ally Russell ’15MFA about her role of Marketing Manager at independent publisher Nosy Crow, and the release of her debut novel.

• Careers and Internships

Bridgett Johnson-Pride '18MAMS was named Director of Public Services for Archives and Special Collections at Harvard University in October, 2023. We caught up with Johnson-Pride about her current role, and how she engages with patrons as an extroverted archivist.

• Careers and Internships
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Leadership

The Remarkable Rescue at Milkweed Meadow (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2023) by Elaine Dimopoulos ’08MFA was selected as an Honors title for the Mass Book Awards.

• Awards and Honors

The Honorable Amy L. Nechtem ’76 is the Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Juvenile Court Department, protecting the safety, health, and wellbeing of children residing in the state. Chief Justice Nechtem spoke with us about her her commitment to systems enhancement affecting vulnerable children and families, both influenced by the early impact of the Simmons sisterhood.

• Careers and Internships
• Leadership
• Social Justice & Advocacy

Janet Daniels ’10MFA, the Assistant Director of the Student Center at Harvard University’s Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, was recently recognized as one of the Rising Star Women of Education for 2024.

• Awards and Honors
• Leadership