CommTracks 2021: Zoom into Resilience

COMMTRACKS A Publication of the Department of Communications at Simmons University

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Welcome No one could have imagined what our senior year would be like.

In March of 2020, all students and faculty were sent home from campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As juniors, we watched the class of 2020 finish the last few months of their senior year virtually. We felt for the 2020 seniors who had their most important year of college cut short—with no notice.

Little did we know that our own final year of college would be remote. Senior year was to be spent entirely separated and away from campus—but put online.

In the fall of 2020, we began a semester like no other. What was once a temporary solution to finish classes in the spring became our everyday reality, “Zoom university”, where most of us were Zooming in from off-campus apartments or childhood bedrooms. This new normal continued into the Spring 2021 semester, while more students were invited back to live in the residence halls, but no in-person classes

were held. During all of this, we struggled as a community, suffering from zoom fatigue and trying to transition our once robust in-person community online. However, with challenges came great strength and growth.

While students navigated a locked-down world, experienced difficulty adapting to new technology, and witnessed global tragedies including COVID-19 deaths and police murders of Black Americans, our community demonstrated resilience even during a time of crisis. From distances often far greater than six feet, as students reached out to one another from across the country and world, the Simmons communications community proved itself a force that uplifts and supports all of its members.

We present to you the 16th Issue of CommTracks: Zoom into Resilience, to highlight the strength of our community during these challenging times. This is the first time CommTracks has been created by a team of 4 students who could only meet remotely, Zooming in from our respective bedrooms, living rooms, and offices. Nevertheless, the 2021 CommTracks team has created a magazine that showcases the remarkable strength and creativity of our department graduates, and we are thrilled to present it to you.

The CommTracks Team

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Department Chair Ellen Grabiner Editorial Team Hayley Arnold & Maya Friedrich Design Team Bridget Fong & Kelsey Benedict Writers Hayley Arnold, Kaylin Doherty, Maya Friedrich, Madison Horn, Isabelle Indelicato, Mack McKenzie, Abigail Vervaeke, and Gianna Wilson.

Contributors Sarah Carlon Photographers Courtesy of Simmons University Bridget Fong Consulting Editors Ellen Grabiner & Kristina Markos CommTracks Magazine 2021 Issue 16: Layout in Adobe InDesign CC: set in Helvetica Neue by Miedinger; title typography set in Flegrei by Rausch; printed on 80# opaque recycled paper.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the editor, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses as permitted by the copyright law. This is a free publication.

Cover Design by Kelsey Benedict Spread Design by Bridget Fong Printed in Boston by the Simmons Copy & Mail Center © 2021 CommTracks Magazine

Table of Contents Welcome Letter CommTracks Team

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Letter From the Chair Ellen Grabiner

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Reflection, Relocation, & Resilience Abigail Vervaeke

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Starting an Internship While Entering a Pandemic Gianna Wilson

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Gwen Ifill's Legacy Through Hard Times Maya Friedrich

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Forgoing Comfort to Find Myself Kaylin Doherty

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How I Got Here Madison Horn

Esra Othman: Student, Teacher & Mother Maya Friedrich

Faculty & Staff

Meet the Seniors

Guess the Baby

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Professor Tribute: Andy Porter Hayley Arnold

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Professor Tribute: James Corcoran Mack Mckenzie

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The Resilience of StudentDriven Media Iz Indelicato & Sarah Carlon

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Letter from the Chair Ellen Grabiner Little boxes. To those of us of a certain age, hearing that refrain brings to mind Pete Seeger’s gloss on urban sprawl from 1963. It went like this: Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes made of ticky tacky Little boxes, little boxes, Little boxes all the same There's a green one and a pink one, And a blue one and a yellow one And they're all made out of ticky tacky, And they all look just the same.* A silly, monotonous ditty, that, once begun, becomes an earworm— difficult to expel.

But no one could have predicted the prescient-ness of Seeger when he sang: And the people in the houses, all went to the university Where they all were put in boxes, Little boxes all the same.

No one in 1963, could have imagined the Covid-19 pandemic, outside of a sci-fi fantasy screenplay, nor the “little boxes” that we would all scurry into to retain some semblance of a life. We masked, socially distanced and locked ourselves down in our familial and friendship pods to wait out the storm.

Even eighteen months ago we couldn’t have imagined that our lives would shrink to a “Hollywood Squares” type of configuration on our devices, large and small; that we would take our classes, do our exercise routines, sing with our choruses, have Zoom reunions, drink cocktails, play chess and bridge and poker, dance, meditate and do yoga, all within the bounds of our little boxes.

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We couldn’t have imagined it, but we are living it.

Of course, Seeger’s boxes were boxes of homogeny and dullness. And our boxes are anything but. As we approach the end of almost three virtual semesters, we have some measure of optimism. Folks are getting vaccinated, the curve has been flattening. Still, while we are hopeful for an explosive spring, we are also pervaded with a sadness and grief of all that has been lost, all those who have been lost to us.

On a departmental note, we said goodbye to two of our cherished faculty members, retirees, Professor James Corcoran and Professor Andy Porter, who are properly feted in the pages of this magazine and are already sorely missed.

And yet, as this year’s theme for the 16th issue of CommTracks rightly emphasizes, our zoom into resiliency has led to award winning innovation, creativity, community building and outreach via social media.

A vibrant Communications Liaison, has kept the COMM connection alive through virtual offerings of meetings, workshops, game nights, and our fabulous annual Networking dinner where Comm students got to meet with Comm Alums and hear what their trajectory has been like. The silver lining for that virtual event, was there were no geographic barriers for Alums to join us!

Simmons Radio The Shark and The Simmons Voice have teamed up to provide a robust social media presence and this year, their combined efforts yielded 6 award nominations from the InterCollegiate Broadcasting System, including Lennon Sherburne’s, “Defining Time,” Best Documentary, Kelly O’Hanlon, for Best Logo. We had two nominations for best podcast: Molly Jena Henebury for “Food Insecurity on Campus,” and “Welcome Home” a series hosted by Iz Indelicato, Katie Cole, Sarah Carlon and (December grad) Abby Vervaeke. And Sarah Carlon was awarded Best Spot News Coverage, and the station won Best Streaming Station under 10,000 students. You have found a way to make a home in these little boxes., Faculty, no less than students, had to think on their feet last spring, as the move to online teaching and

learning was almost instantaneous. They have continued to invent, innovate and iterate their virtual teaching of content that stretches the resilience of students and faculty alike. Receiving material and equipment kits in the mail, students were able to excel in classes that involve critical making skills, like VisComm, Intro to Graphic Design, Design Thinking, Animation and more!

sage who has waxed philosophical about little boxes.

There is also always my guru, Zippy the Pinhead**. Zippy has lived his entire existence in a little box, so it is to him I turn now for some final words (and pictures!) of inspiration. I trust these will be as comforting to you all as they have been to me. In his true Zen fashion, when asked if he ever feels “boxed in,” Zippy responds,

As academic conferences and film festivals found their way into those little boxes, faculty had to pivot to this new platform for the dissemination of their research and creative work. Professor Briana Martino virtually presented their paper, “Graphic Silence in Graphic Medicine” at the MLA, 2021 convention, and Professor Bob White premiered his most recent animated film, The Bumbling Gentleman in the Bar at Tenjin Wan’s, at the Boston SciFi Virtual Film Festival.

While the future remains uncertain, there is a glimmer of light at the end of this very long tunnel, and it is likely that fall, 2021, will see some version of modified campus existence. And while we may not be able to celebrate our graduating seniors in person this spring, the editorial and design team of this year’s CommTracks has done a phenomenal job of highlighting the successes and achievements of the Class of 2021. They will all have pandemic stories to tell the children of their future, and they will have mad skills with which to tell them As chair, I have made it my custom since 2015, to impart a bit of wisdom to our stupendous COMM graduates. Since these are indeed extraordinary times, I thought an extraordinary message would be appropriate. Pete Seeger is not the only

Big Congrats, Class of 2021.

YOU TRULY HAVE ROCKED THE BOX!!

Many Virtual Hugs, Ellen, aka, The Chair

Pete Seeger, Little Boxes, 1963.

Zippy the Pinhead, Bill Griffith, 2006

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Abby standing infront of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

Reflection,

Relocation & Resilience Abigail Vervaeke

I’ve always been a bit of a planner. Not in a five-year plan type of way, just in the-next-18-months type of way. In March 2020, my plan was clear: get as many graduation requirements as possible complete during my junior year so I could spend my senior year studying abroad and interning. I had spent the majority of my college career working towards my ideal senior year.

But there was nothing ideal about March 2020.

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I never had the time to stop and ask myself how I truly wanted to spend my time and energy.

Personally, COVID put me at a sort of crossroads. My lease in Boston was going to end in September. I knew I didn’t want to stay there post-grad. And living at home long-term wasn’t really an option. So, I moved to D.C., the city I’ve always wanted to live in.

Once I realized that I wanted to spend my time working for The Voice, I hit the ground running with a group of other editors. For me, my focus was not just creating more content. It was creating content that better aligned with the needs and interests of the Simmons community at the present moment.

My summer internship with the NBC Olympics team was canceled. My hopes of studying abroad were far gone. And worst of all, I was burnt out.

That was no fault of COVID, but the sudden stop to life as we knew it made it that much more apparent. Everything that I had done up to that moment, everything that I thought was putting me in the exact position I wanted to be in; all the jobs, internships, extracurriculars, wore me down. And during it all, I never had the time to stop and ask myself how I truly wanted to spend my time and energy.

But, suddenly, I had nothing but time.

Like most people, I was stuck inside.

Aside from virtual work and classes, for the first time, I had no excuse to not just sit and think. For the first time, I couldn’t avoid the fact that the track I was on was not sustainable.

I needed to make a decision: wait it out and try to make the old plans work, or embrace the moment and create something new. I went with the latter.

To wait it out felt like trying to shove a square peg in a round hole. That would never work. I don’t want to minimize how difficult that is. But for me, waiting it out seemed like a waste of my time.

So I decided not to.

I thought about how I wanted to spend my time both personally and professionally. There were a couple of conclusions I arrived at.

1. If I can do my work and school anywhere right now, I might as well live where I want to live.

2. If I’m going to be in this environment, I’m going to use it as an opportunity to contribute to a publication I care about, The Simmons Voice.

There wasn’t anything wrong with what had been previously published in The Voice but the needs of the community had changed. In the remote environment, people needed a source of information that kept them connected to the community. So, we increased our news coverage and feature stories and pushed more of our content to social media.

The changes we made quickly paid off.

Our content and readership doubled, our social media following grew, and our work was featured in major publications like The New York Times, WBUR, Student Press Law Center, and Poynter.

I graduated a semester early in December, which ended my work with The Voice.

Today, I am still living in DC where COVID continues to disrupt our lives–and I don’t have a plan. But for the first time in a while, I know that is just fine.

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Ava DuVernay “ These are the times history is shaped, because it is the storytellers who cement what was, and so it’s vital that we continue to tell the story and tell all sides of it.”

Sherrilyn Ifill “ Those who were willing to turn away from the truth, now have to confront the truth.”

Michele Norris “ It’s good for us to not only think about telling stories, but capturing stories. Making sure we’re not just telling stories, but excavating them.”

Quotes taken from the 2020 Ifill Forum: Facing Hard Truths

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Gwen Ifill's Legacy Through Hard Times Maya Friedrich 2020 was a challenging year all around— a pandemic that changed nearly every aspect of our lives, divisive national elections, and an inescapable confrontation with the violence against Black Americans that has persisted for centuries. But perhaps the hardest truth we face, as highlighted in a conversation with Ava Duvernay, Sherrilyn Ifill, and Michele Norris,—is that the events of this year were not random or due to a stroke of bad luck. Rather, issues such as police brutality, increasingly prevalent fascist ideologies, and unequal access toCOVID-19 treatment and prevention are the direct results of our actions. We can either choose to turn a blind eye or to confront reality. As the next generation of Simmons communicators and storytellers graduate this spring, we embrace the responsibility to share these truths accurately and intentionally. The forum’s panel provided four powerful voices to guide us.

Yamiche Alcindor, White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour and the 2019 Gwen Ifill Next Generation Award recipient, introduced the conversation and spoke of Ifill’s dedication to thoughtful storytelling. “Missing her presence during this chaotic year, I found myself wondering, what would Gwen say?” She recalled how Gwen never wavered in the face of adversity, even when she was attacked personally. Alcindor sees this same dedication from 2020 honoree Ava Duvernay.

This year, acclaimed filmmaker Duvernay received the 2020 Gwen Ifill Next Generation Award for her relentless commitment to capturing reality and sharing important truths—often truths that spark discomfort among the public, in her films such as 13th and Selma.

When speaking of current circumstances— pandemic inequities, an incarceration epidemic, police brutality—Duvernay said, “This is the time when history is shaped. You can see how this moment will be shaped twenty years from now.”

It is crucial that artists, historians, and storytellers capture the moment through the voices of those most often left behind.

Sherrilyn Ifill, lawyer and president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, has studied and compared inequity and antiBlack violence in South Africa, Rwanda, and post-Nazi Germany. “We’re not crazy,” Ifill said. “And for a long time people have been gaslighted to believe lynchings did not happen or were not important.” Ifill asserted there cannot be unity until there is justice, and, for many white Americans, that is a hard truth to face. She pointed to three examples of systemic violence against Black Americans during the pandemic—the spread of COVID-19 in jails and prisons, the economic crisis Black businesses face as federal aid fails to reach them, and continuing Black voter suppression. She encouraged storytellers to take immediate action— “This is not about what’s happening next Monday,” she said. “This is about what’s happening right now.”

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How I Got Here Madison Horn I saw the campus the first time that summer, a month before I was supposed to move in, everything felt wrong.

Photo of Maddy Horn in her backyard.

Higher education seemed like a pipe dream for me. I was painfully aware of how broke my family was. I was labeled a “gifted student” in elementary school, but by the time I got to high school, I was just trying to graduate.

During high school, I moved from Arizona to an affluent New England town, where my peers had been touring colleges since they could walk. The appeal of college started to rub off on me. I viewed knowledge as power and higher education as my escape, a way to shake up the cards life had dealt me in a more favorable way.

My aspirations were low in comparison to my peers. Dreaming was a luxury I had not been afforded. I applied to five Maine state schools, having toured none of them.

But when I visited the college I had originally planned on attending, I began to doubt my decision. People talked about knowing when you had found the right school. When

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But my dad is a disabled veteran, so I qualified for a scholarship from the VA (Veterans Association) that made my education possible. Until the VA redacted his status. In other words, I lost my scholarship. I was left scrambling to apply for student loans, which I didn’t qualify for.

The day I filled out my withdrawal form from my old school, I did not know what to do with myself. I did not know what to tell my friends. All I knew was that my escape had been cut short, and I had wound up in a serious mess instead.

I will never forget the shame and heartbreak of driving back to campus. I feverishly wiped away my tears when I pulled up to my dorm.

I had to swallow my pride and learn how to pick my chin up at the same time. I worked my way up at my job back home, until I had the means to reapply to schools. I was skeptical of the empowerment Simmons was trying to sell me, but when I toured the school, I suddenly understood what people were talking about when they said I would know when I’d found the right school. This

university became my escape and a home.

That’s not to say I was always comfortable.

When my parents asked how I would pay for school, I told them I would figure it out. I had no idea how, but I was determined to find a way. And I did, by working between 3-5 jobs at a time on top of being a student. I also earned additional scholarships. I was late on my bills here and there, but I made it work, even when it was exhausting.

Nothing about my college experience has been conventional, and much of it is not ideal. COVID-19 has made my entire senior year completely remote, and my parents are going through a chaotic divorce. These are hard times for everyone. Life is full of peaks and valleys, and that has never been truer for me than it is now.

But, I have learned to roll with the punches and not to break a sweat over what is out of my control. I know that once we all come out of this hardship, we will have new ones to face. If we draw on our resilience, we can truly live and be proud. I am proud of myself and the class of 2021. I believe in me, and you, and all of us.

...but I made it work, even when it was exhausting.

Esra Othman: Student, Teacher & Mother Maya Friedrich

“I feel bad for teachers now, and have so much respect for them,” she said. “I don’t think we give them enough credit.”

Esra Othman is no stranger to obstacles.

As an immigrant from Jordan, a media arts student, a mother of four, and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, her childrens’ teacher, she has faced the last year with resounding grace.

But her life hasn’t been simple. Esra was a nurse in Jordan before she met the man she married in 2004, relocating to Boston where her husband opened a pizza restaurant in Mission Hill. She worked with her husband at the restaurant, meanwhile taking English language classes at the YMCA, but with a limited vocabulary, her world felt small.

After developing a solid English vocabulary, Esra began a college education at Bunker Hill Community College, focusing on communications. With a science background, Esra found the communications field posed a different set of challenges. In the spring of 2019, she began pursuing her bachelor’s degree at Simmons.

“And here I am, a senior with four kids, happy and satisfied after struggling many, many years with internal conflict, standing up with more strength, resilience,” she reflected.

Esra said her biggest challenge had been finding time to study between classes.

“I’m not just a student,” she said. “I have to finish lectures, then drive the kids to various activities, then cook and eat, do laundry, clean the house – so time management is crucial.”

During the minimal time Esra finds for herself, she enjoys meditation and daily exercise. Her father passed away from a heart attack when Esra was just four years old, so she vows to prioritize her health.

“It’s never about looking fit or having a certain body. I just want to be healthy for myself and my family.” She runs seven miles each day and says the cardio helps her de-stress, and she lets herself rest and recover on weekends.

Photo of Esra and her daughters.

Despite hardship, Esra has found the time to complete her assignments–even while her kids have been sick and unable to sleep– and she made the Dean’s List multiple times.

Her kids have taught her to be motivated and patient. “If they weren’t in my life I wouldn’t be so motivated,” she said. “I want them to say, ‘Yes, my mom was a foreigner and she did it and she did it well, completing her bachelor’s with a high GPA’.” But more important than good grades, she said, is that her children are happy and healthy.

Esra’s two oldest children, Ryan (14) and Judy (12), have been able to navigate their education during the pandemic somewhat independently, and her main role has been to hold them accountable for time management. But with her two youngest children in foundational years of education– Kenzie (7), and Ranzie (3) – Esra spends a good deal of her time operating as their teacher.

As far as her post-graduation plans go, Esra is not sure she will enter the media world immediately, as her top priority remains showing up for her family and community. “I thought working would be easier with the kids being older, but I’ve found that isn’t true. As they grow up things become more difficult, and it seems now is when they need me the most,” she says.

Esra hopes that after graduation she can gain some experience in media production and open her own film company with her husband. She aspires to connect with the Unity Production Foundation, a company that creates films about Muslim culture. Wherever Esra’s next years take her, she sees value in her communications education not just as a career booster, but as an opportunity to learn about herself and the world.

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Faculty & STAFF Ellen Grabiner Department Chair & Associate Professor

Briana Martino Assistant Professor

Rachel Gans-Boriskin Assistant Professor of Practice

Andrew Porter Associate Professor of Practice & Internship Director

James Corcoran Professor Emeritus

Luke Romanak Digital Classrooms & Labs Manager

Judith Aronson Professor

Sarah Burrows Adjunct Faculty

Bob White Professor

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Participants (13) Newly Retired Simmons Alum

Key Public Relations & Marketing Communications Web Design & Development Erica Moura Assistant Professor of Practice

Kris Erickson Assistant Professor

Media Arts Journalism Graphic Design Other

Came to Simmons: Kristina Markos Associate Professor of Practice & Online Program Director

Lydia Hardy Adjunct Professor

1971 – Bob White 1986 – James Corcoran 1998 – Judtih Aronson 1998 – Sarah Burrows 2000 – Ellen Grabiner 2000 – Briana Martino 2007 – Andrew Porter 2013 – Lydia Hardy 2014 – Luke Romanak 2015 – Rachel Gans-Borskin 2016 – Kris Erikson 2017 – Erica Moura 2019 – Kristina Markos

...

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Meet the senior Hayley Arnold

Carly Dickler*

Kaylin Doherty*

Samantha Kelsey

Kanna Moriyama

Taylor Nappi**

Riley Sampson*

Abigail Vervaeke*

Esra Othman

Gabriela Paiva*

Kelly Phan

Paula Garcia Arteaga

Madison Horn

Megan Purser

Helen Ruhlin

Kelsey Benedict*

Rayah Naji

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Students (25)

rs

Honors Program Lambda Pi Eta Simmons Athelte

Key Mack MacKenzie*

Lucy McNamara

Public Relations & Marketing Communications Web Design & Development Media Arts

Gianna Wilson

Güiro Prieto Avilés

Journalism Graphic Design Other

Maya Friedrich

Sofia Gulick*

Double Majors: Arts Administration, English Literature, Political Science, & Sociology *Minors Biology Business

Bridget Fong*

Kye Jasper*

English Entrepreneurship Graphic Design Journalism Psychology Studio Arts

...

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Guess the Baby 3

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ANSWERS: 1) ERICA MOURA 2) BOB WHITE 3) SAMANTHA KELSEY 4) HAYLEY ARNOLD 5) PAULA GARCIA ATEAGA 6) KELSEY BENEDICT 7) MADISON HORN 8) JUDITH ARONSON 9) LUCY MCNAMARA 10) MACK MCKENZIE 11) BRIDGET FONG 12) TAYLOR NAPPI 13) MEGAN PURSER 14) CARLY DICKLER 15) ABBY VERVEAKE 16) ELLEN GRABINER 17) KELLY PHAN 18) GIANNA WILSON 19) KANNA MORIYAMA 20) RILEY SAMPSON 21) MAYA FRIEDRICH 22) BRIANA MARTINO 23) HELEN RHULIN 24) KAYLIN DOHERTY 25) KRIS ERICKSON 26) LUKE ROMANAK 27) SOFIA GULICK 28) LYDIA HARDY 29) GABBY PAIVA 30) KRISTINA MARKOS

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Starting an Internship While Entering a Pandemic Gianna Wilson As the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning in the spring of 2020, I was actively on the hunt for an internship. In March, I accepted an offer from Skillsoft in the Boston office.

On my first day, I went to work for three hours at a practically empty office since it had closed to employees the previous week. I picked up my laptop, learned the basics of how to use it, and sat at my desk for both the first and possibly last time.

My boss and I were the last people in the

office because everyone else had shifted to remote work by then, and no one has returned since.

I started my second day of work on my parents’ couch in New Hampshire. For the first few weeks, the only person I truly communicated with was my boss. I had documents to read, videos to watch, and meetings to join, but few people to talk to.

Fortunately, I quickly adjusted and learned

Photo of Gianna's work from home setup.

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how to do the work. Of course, having such an amazing boss who was only a Microsoft Team’s message away and who checked in with me daily via video chat helped. As the internship progressed and people started to adapt to remote working, I slowly met more individuals through meetings and virtual coffee breaks which allowed me to get acclimated to the team and company culture.

When I started, I was the first and only intern. A month and a half later, three more interns joined. With this came Lunch & Learns, meeting more people in the company, having “Meet the Expert” sessions with people outside of the company in the communications field, and more. All the interns were invited to create short PowerPoint presentations about themselves to share with the global marketing teams, which was equally exciting as it was nerve-racking. With more collaboration and events, I expanded my knowledge of the company, the industry, and the communications field at a fast pace which, at times, was overwhelming.

I’ve been with Skillsoft for over a year now, and while it has been a unique and challenging experience, it has easily been the best professional development and growth opportunity I could have ever imagined. I may not have been in a physical office, but I’ve met people around the world at all levels of the company, worked on critical projects, and earned over 60 digital learning badges in a variety of courses.

This year didn’t meet my standards and expectations, it exceeded them. It was far better than I could have ever asked for.

Forgoing Comfort to Find Myself Kaylin Doherty Four years ago, I was sifting through college applications, imagining what my life would look like after high school. I surprised myself by choosing a womencentered university over 1000 miles away from my family. At the time, I felt so excited to be moving away and starting my life.

My first experience of feeling homesick was during parents’ weekend of my freshman year. My parents live in Northern Minnesota and were unable to attend.

While I spent that weekend tagging along with my friend’s parents, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. I called my mom in tears, wanting nothing more than a comforting hug from her. That was the first time I felt truly alone.

That was the first time I felt truly alone.

The first time I was sick at college, I tried taking the train to my grandmother’s house so that I could be taken care of, as I so longed to be around my loved ones.

I hopped on the green line to start my journey to her house but didn’t even make it to the first stop. The T abruptly stopped due to a shooting, in which the person responsible was running through the green line tunnels. After what felt like hours stuck underground, I was dropped off at Kenmore Square, where I had to walk back to my dorm. I was emotionally exhausted, alone, and wondered if I made a huge mistake coming to Boston, far away from the comfort of my small hometown.

I had survived my entire first year relying on myself and no one else. By the spring, my homesickness faded and I finally found myself enjoying Massachusetts so much that I decided to forgo moving home for the summer. I found a job in Cape Cod working at a souvenir shop and lived in a cramped apartment above the store with complete strangers. While I continued to grow into the person I was becoming through new experiences and friendships, I quickly lost touch with my friends back home who were also moving on in their lives and moving on from me. Looking back, I am glad that I took that opportunity, but it was sad to see my friends back home enjoying their time together. Usually, I would have been with them, but this summer, for the first time, I was on my own.

Today I am a senior, preparing to embark on the next chapter of my life. When I look back at my college experience, I am most

Kaylin with her family on move-in day. grateful for my freshman year that was not picture perfect. In that first year, I learned more about myself than ever before and took opportunities that brought me to who I am today, even though it meant countless nights of feeling alone and unsure.

Sometimes growing up also means growing apart. Being away from my friend group in Minnesota did not mean that they didn’t still love and care for me. Just because my parents didn’t come to parents weekend doesn’t mean that they don’t support me.

Their actions are not a reflection of me and who I am, and sometimes my feelings don't reflect the true reality of the situation. I can look back on these moments and see my accomplishments and the way I persevered through them. Although I felt low in those moments, I learned how to love myself, and that it’s okay to be alone. It takes courage to be alone and find happiness.

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:: Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten 9th President of Simmons University On July 1, 2020, Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten made university history as she became the ninth president and first African American to direct Simmons University.

Wooten specializes in “crisis leadership, diversity and inclusion, and positive leadership” (Simmons University Website, n.d.). Her experience in managing crises was crucial, as she joined Simmons during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In her first year, she has focused on ensuring the health of both students and faculty when making decisions about on-campus living and learning. She also has prioritized creating a robust virtual education experience by consistently overseeing the improvement of the online campus platform.

We cannot wait to see what she accomplishes in the next few years and look forward to students meeting her when we are back on campus.

Simmons University Website. (n.d.). Lynn Perry Wooten. Retrieved from https://www.simmons.edu/academics/faculty/lynn-wooten

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Professor tribute: Andy Porter Hayley Arnold Professor Andrew Porter, “Andy,” retired in December of 2020 and left big shoes to fill.

Andy attended Boston College and graduated in 1972, with a bachelor’s degree in history and education. He was then drafted into the Vietnam war, being number 82 in the selected service lottery that went up to 95. Andy decided to remain in the army for an additional year as an army journalist, following his passion for media writing. After his time in the army, he went on to work in communications for a number of corporations including Friendly’s Ice Cream Corporation, New England Life Insurance, Honeywell, Boston Herald, and Teradyne.

In 2004, Andy became a part-time adjunct at Newbury College, while continuing his

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Began teaching at Simmons part time.

Andy gets drafted into the Vietnam war.

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full-time job at Teradyne, and discovered his passion for teaching. In 2007 Andy began teaching at Simmons part-time while also starting his own consulting company.

In 2010, Andy joined the department of communications as internship director and full time contract faculty. Little did people know at that time, the extent to which Andy would inspire and mentor students for years to come.

As an undecided major myself in 2019, torn between majoring in marketing and public relations, I began to frantically ask students for advice. Very quickly I noticed a pattern of people advising me to seek out “Andy”, not Professor Porter, not Andrew Porter, just Andy.

2010

Andy at the 14th annual Omnicom Group convention.

I remember finally figuring out his last name and walking into his office as a complete stranger. Even though Andy and I had never met before, he was the first professor that I had talked to who genuinely wanted to help me find my professional passion.

While Andy is an icon to students studying public relations and marketing communications, including myself, Andy never took credit for any student’s success. Andy once told me “I am just a coach. You are the player who has the talent to make the plays and win”.

Andy was not an ordinary professor; he focused on students gaining valuable career experience instead of only earning high grades. Andy has helped hundreds of students find internships and jobs, always proclaiming “he had more opportunities to fill, than students”. He went above and beyond for his students when it came to preparing them for life after graduation by coordinating many networking events, bringing in alumni guest speakers to every class he taught, and connecting students directly with employers.

In addition to his enthusiasm towards communications, Andy will always be remembered for his humor, mind-blowing life stories, and his kind heart. He brought food to every class he taught to ensure that his students were fed, and always asked how we were doing outside of our classes. He was never a professor anyone would fear, as he treated everyone he met with kindness and respect. While Andy always kept himself busy, he was always someone you could count on to help you in times of need.

2010

2020

Andy’s passion for teaching and helping those find their niche in the world of communications will never die. Even as a retired man, Andy will continue to help and inspire those in communications as he teaches part-time at Boston University. While I cannot imagine what the communications department will look like without Andy’s determination and positive energy, I am beyond grateful to have been able to have him in my life.

While I recognize that I will never be able to say it enough, thank you so much Andy, we all appreciate you.

2021

Professor Porter retires.

Communications Department faculty photo.

Studio 5 Fall 2020 saying goodbye.

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Professor tribute: James Corcoran Mack MacKenzie

Historically, James Corcoran was an Irish rebel leader in 1798, and although the James Corcoran that is known at Simmons wasn’t an Irish rebel leader, he was certainly a rebel and a leader.

At Simmons, Corcoran was a professor and the Communications Department Chair for almost three decades. During those decades, he helped craft the futures of many Simmons students, including my own.

My favorite thing about Professor Corcoran was that he wasn’t the average professor. He was not afraid to critique the AP Style Book or explain why they/ them pronouns should be integrated into people’s language rather than viewed as incorrect as other professors may have done. He put his students first instead of putting the institution first. He made individual collegiate experiences special for so many students.

1986

2007

The first semester of my freshman year at Simmons, I had the privilege of taking Media Writing Boot Camp with Professor Corcoran. I wanted to take the course so it could set my writing straight, and he did just that. I didn’t get a single A in that course. Not even on my reading reflections. It was either a check or a B. Under other circumstances, I would have gotten upset, but I felt motivated to earn that A, to feel like I was deserving of an A. I never earned an A in Media Writing Boot Camp, but I earned an advisor that I could turn to with any questions.

Professor Corcoran was the author of two books. The first being Bitter Harvest: The Birth of Paramilitary Terrorism in the Heartland. This Pulitzer Prize-nominated book looked at the rise of the anti-tax movement in rural America. NBC later turned the book into a movie that I watched a snippet of in his Simmons

2010

Professor Corcoran comes to Simmons.

Professor Corcoran with Dan Connell, journalism faculty member, at Bartol Hall.

James in Lefavour Hall announcing the "Wall of Honor".

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Leadership course How TV Frames America. Bitter Harvest received the Gustav Meyers Center's award for Outstanding Book about human rights and the Golden Pen Award.

250 regional, national, and international television and radio programs. Corcoran is a member of the United Nations’ “Roster of Experts on Terrorism and Related Phenomena”.

His second book, entitled Gathering Storm: America's Militia Threat, was written after the Oklahoma City bombing.

It traced the growth and impact of hate groups, militias, and racist demagogues.

His third book was Casselton: Portrait of a Neighborhood. It looked at the downfall of small town America and how a once selfcontained, self-satisfied, self-supportive, and self-reliant community is trying to find a new sense of place in America that no longer supports them.

I didn’t know Corcoran’s extensive history as an author and a member of the United Nations. This goes to show that he was both high achieving and humble, a combination you don’t see every day.

Although I didn’t know this history of his, I wasn’t surprised. He was a brilliant professor and person whom I had the pleasure of knowing and turning to in times of need. I miss his presence in the halls of the communications wing (and the halls of the communications wing in general) and yet I know if I ever needed his advice again I could reach out. Even if I never got an A, he made me proud of the writer I am today. Thank you Professor Corcoran for everything you taught me.

Aside from his books, Corcoran has written over 15 articles on domestic terrorism, was a consultant on four documentaries, has appeared at dozens of seminars, and was on more than 2010

2011

2021

Professor Corcoran retires.

Professor Corcoran at CommWorks the Show!

Image of the Rex Mix Award for outstanding small college department that Professor Corcoran helped supervised the nomination for.

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The Resilience of Student-Driven Media Isabelle Indelicato & Sarah Carlon “So what’s going on in the world this week?”

This is a familiar question for anyone who has taken a class with Professor Moura.

Sitting in her journalism course two weeks into the Spring ‘20 semester, we began class as we always had.

A classmate mentioned that a new virus had been detected and that concerns from public health officials were rising.

“This happens every few years,” we all chimed in. While devastating, past viruses never made it to the doomsday level that they were initially made out to reach. With that, we went on to discuss the stories that we wanted to cover for the semester.

During class breaks, Sarah Carlon, Abby Vervaeke, Katie Cole and I spent the time talking about our desire for The Shark and The Voice to form a stronger collaborative relationship in order to achieve the goal of connecting the Simmons community in the Fall ‘20 semester.

gear, covering what the decision to go remote would mean for students, and how the pandemic would affect them.

Nearly a year later, that momentum created in chaos and uncertainty has not let up. And the collaboration of student-driven media is stronger than I ever could’ve imagined.

Time and time again student-driven media has been associated with the word “resilience.” From covering the events of the early October day in 2018—when students frantically texted their parents telling them they were barricaded in rooms with doors that did not lock, to The Voice facing budget cuts that ended the printed newspaper, resilience has been a strength of our communicators.

The last class before spring break happened to be Journalism, and time felt like it was standing still. What once was a whisper at the beginning of class had become the topic we spent the majority of our time talking about. There was uncertainty, and fear for what would take place, without understanding of the gravity of the situation.

When the spread of the COVID-19 virus was recognized as a pandemic and we were sent home after break, Sarah, Abby, Katie and I jumped into high

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Photo of ‘The Welcome Home’ producers Zooming from their work from home setup.

Check out the podcast!

I am trying to find the word for what is beyond ‘resilience.’ A word that goes beyond ‘recovering from’ or ‘adapting quickly.’ A word that conveys how we thrived, and perhaps became more successful than we would have been without the pandemic, which created a sense of urgency to keep the community informed.

When spring 2020 semester ended, reporting continued through summer as leadership roles at The Voice and the Shark transitioned. At The Voice, Sarah stepped into the role of Editorin-Chief, Abby as the Managing Editor, and over at the Shark Katie becoming the Assistant General Manager, and I, the General Manager.

Once it was announced that Fall ‘20 would be remote, I was filled with fear that the collaboration between the Shark and The Voice would never come to fruition. The goal was to make studentdriven media more visible by getting more people involved, and to become a force for connecting the Simmons community.

The collaboration between The Voice and The Shark resulted in the creation of the ‘Welcome Home’ podcast, covering the stories that impact the Simmons community, and getting more people involved in student-driven media. With the work of countless others, The Shark was nominated for six Intercollegiate Broadcasting System awards, including Best Station and Best Podcast.

Scan the code with your phone to start listening.

By the end of 2020, we had published twice as many stories as we did in 2019, covered a wider range of stories, and doubled our readership. Most importantly, The Voice and the Shark were successful in putting out content that was relevant to the community, and forming a strong relationship with one another.

To me, resilience has become synonymous with Simmons student-driven media, and I know that moving forward we will

reach that goal and continue in our successes and achievements far past the end of the pandemic.

As Abby Vervaeke said in her thread of Tweets about the analytics mentioned above “Keeping members of our community informed during these challenging times has been our main priority — I’m so glad we were able to serve a larger audience.”

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CONGRATs To the Simmons Radio: The Shark and The Simmons Voice on your awards! Be sure to check out the CommTracks 2021 throwback playlist on Spotify curated by the Simmons Radio: The Shark. Scan the barcode to start listening or click here.

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Best Streaming Only Station Under 10,000 Students Simmons Radio: The Shark IBS Awards

Best Spot News Coverage

Best COVID-19 Coverage

Simmons Radio: The Shark

The Simmons Voice

IBS Awards

Mark of Excellence Award

Scan the Spotify code with your phone to start listening.

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tulations a r g n o C Class of 2021!

Simmons University Communication Liaison

This magazine was made possible by the Student-Driven Media Advisory Board.

29 Career Education Center

Department of Communications Simmons University 300 The Fenway Boston, MA 02115