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.

• Awards and Honors
• Health and Wellness
• Leadership
• Science and Technology

“As an Indigenous woman, it is hard for me to not take personally the challenging and banning of books by Indigenous authors and about the Indigenous experience,” says Anna Kelly ’23MS an enrolled member of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.

• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Social Justice & Advocacy

In 1968, journalist and Roxbury native Sarah-Ann Shaw (1933–2024) made her debut television appearance on WGBH-TV’s “Say, Brother” (renamed “Basic Black” in 1998). Over the course of her career, Shaw received many awards for her groundbreaking reportage and advocacy.

• In Memoriam

Jennifer Roecklein-Canfield, Professor of Chemistry and Physics at Simmons, is among the 2024 cohort of Fellows within the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). She spoke with us about receiving this honor, advocating for women in STEM, and reimagining mentorship.

• Awards and Honors
• Mentorship
• Research
• Science and Technology

Family Nurse Practitioner and Simmons alumna Angela Regalado is a member of the medical team at Carolina House Calls, offering high-quality medical care to patients who are underserved due to mobility issues, disabilities, chronic illnesses, and so forth.

• Health and Wellness
• Careers and Internships

To honor National Nutrition Month this March, we spoke with Jasmin Dieb ’24DIP, a certificate student in the Nutrition and Dietetics Internship Program. Dieb discussed her passion for nutrition and how food forms health, community, and love.

• Mentorship

On February 29, the Dotson Bridge and Mentoring Program, directed by Associate Professor of Practice LaDonna Christian, hosted a Lectureship Event with Dr. Ena Williams. Her lecture, entitled, “Experiences of Racial and Ethnic Minority Nurses: Our Role in Advancing Workforce Diversity,” identified workplace biases and underscored the need for mentorship, racial equity, and organizational change.

• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Leadership
• Mentorship

In December of 2023, Simmons School of Social Work Associate Professor Olivia Montgomery offered virtual testimony in support of a bill prohibiting body size discrimination. In a presentation to the Simmons community in February, Montgomery offered an introduction to Fat Liberation in Social Work, examining the root causes of anti-fatness and its widespread consequences.

• Social Justice & Advocacy

The annual award recognizes oncology nurses who go above and beyond to deliver exceptional patient care.

• Awards and Honors

Allen Smith Visiting Scholar Heidi Julien, PhD, shared digital literacy tips with the Simmons community in her presentation, “Misinformation and Information Behavior: Challenges for the Information Professions.”

• Awards and Honors