Simmons University Celebrates its 118th Commencement at MGM Music Hall

Boston, Mass. (May 22, 2023) – Simmons University, the only all women’s undergraduate institution in Boston, made history with the first-ever graduation ceremony to be hosted at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway.

During its undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremonies on May 19, Simmons celebrated the Class of 2023 – awarding about 400 baccalaureate degrees and a total of nearly 2500 graduate and undergraduate degrees this academic year.

Simmons graduates donned caps and gowns, and family members filled MGM Music Hall. Simmons faculty and staff were also on hand to celebrate the graduates’ many accomplishments during this 118th commencement ceremony in Simmons history.

Simmons University Board of Trustees Chair Regina Pisa praised students’ ability to thrive in challenging times. She invited the Class of 2023 to stand and applaud their family, friends, and Simmons faculty and staff, who have supported their journeys.

In her second in-person commencement ceremony with Simmons, University President Lynn Wooten commended the graduating class for navigating a global pandemic and other once-in-a-generation events while pursuing their studies.

“During your time at Simmons, you have elevated your voice and formed lifelong connections and friendships,” said Wooten. “Simmons has also challenged you to think critically, to take risks academically, and to explore your interests and passions. And I am so proud of how you have risen to that challenge through your scholarship, service, and many contributions to our community.”

After an invocation delivered by Dr. Gary Bailey, Simmons’ Assistant Dean for Community Engagement and Social Justice, the Simmons Sirens a cappella group performed “Forward Ever Forward.

Vice President of Student Affairs Renique Kersh introduced the Class of 2023 student speaker, Abigayle Post. A dual major in sociology and philosophy, Post delivered an insightful speech about the patience, perseverance, and hope she learned at Simmons, in addition to important qualities she unlearned.

“I have unlearned the shame that comes from a society that demands women be humble,” said Post, to raucous applause. “I know that I am smart and confident and loud, and that makes me absolutely phenomenal. And I will not allow the world to shrink me into acting as though I’m not.”

The honorary Doctor of Humane Letters was awarded to New York Times bestselling and award-winning author, Andrea Davis Pinkney, who delivered the commencement address. Starting with a chorus of “Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round,” by the Freedom Singers, Pinkney launched into a rousing address drawing on her own personal history as a young person who did not want to learn to read or write, because she did not see her own experience reflected in the books included in her school’s curriculum. She warned against the myth of genius, “the false belief that one must be a genius to speak up. To stand up. To be seen. To make an impact. And to access one’s God-given talents, skills, gifts, and abilities. Even when there are few literary mirrors that reflect your experience.”

Thanks to the strong oral tradition of her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Pinkney learned about the strength of women, and learned how to respond to her own negative “doom chorus.” In time, she learned that “a genius is someone who is smart enough to gather all the folks who comprise your own affirmation choir. And to look up, up, up, and forward. To push ahead with affirmation deep within you. A genius is someone who embraces the community that lifts her. A genius leans on that village like the mighty life-force it is.”

During the graduate commencement ceremony, an honorary degree was awarded to Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty ‘03MS, inaugural director of the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, which is the largest museum library system in the world. In her address, she told graduates, “The degree you have earned today has already paid for itself, and then some, though you may not realize it yet.” Noting the perseverance required to pursue a degree through a pandemic, she noted, “Remind yourself that not only did you master success, you are all badasses who rocked it.”