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Meet the Admissions Team

The Tufts Admissions team travels across the United States and around the world each year to meet with prospective students, school counselors, and college access advisors in service of sharing what makes Tufts such a distinctive university and community. We look forward to getting to know you throughout your college search process. 

To ensure that your questions are directed to the appropriate staff member, please contact the Admissions Office directly at undergraduate.admissions@tufts.edu. If you have questions about applying as a transfer student, contact transfer.admissions@tufts.edu instead.

Sean Ashburn

Director of Communications & Outreach He, Him, His sean.ashburn@tufts.edu
Hometown Lebanon, Maine
Favorite book

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Favorite spot on campus

Indigenous Center

Alison Berryman

Director of Undergraduate Admissions She, Her, Hers alison.berryman@tufts.edu
Hometown Nashville, Tennessee
Favorite book

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Favorite Quote

“A party without cake is just a meeting.” - Julia Child

Tahkeya Blake

Associate Director of Admissions She, Her, Hers tahkeya.blake@tufts.edu
Hometown Worcester, Massachusetts
Favorite book

Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist by Franchesca Ramsey

Favorite elephant fact

Elephants create their own sunscreen by using mud and wet sand to protect their skin from the sun!

Kaitlyn Calnan

Admissions Counselor She, Her, Hers kaitlyn.calnan@tufts.edu
Hometown Medway, Massachusetts
Favorite quote

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world” -Mahatma Gandhi

Favorite campus spot

The Tisch Library rooftop

Virginia Casey

Associate Director of Admissions She, Her, Hers virginia.casey@tufts.edu
Hometown Queens, New York
Favorite campus spot

Screen printing studio at SMFA

Favorite book

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Derek Chase

Admissions Counselor He, Him, They, Theirs derek.chase@tufts.edu
Hometown Boylston, Massachusetts
Favorite elephant fact

Elephants perceive humans in the same way that humans can perceive cats and dogs (the same areas in the brain can be activated when they see humans they're familiar with). In other words,  elephants can find us cute!

Favorite book

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson. It takes a really interesting and uplifting perspective on tackling mental illness and approaching the world from a place of joy and positivity despite adversity.

Brent Cheung '23

Admissions Counselor brent.cheung@tufts.edu
Hometown Shanghai, China
Favorite spot on campus

Gaming Hub Room at Hayes House (A space I helped get funding for when I was an undergrad!)

Tufts Class I'd like to take

History 54: Europe since 1815 (Again because I love Professor Proctor and it is what made me become a history major)

JT Duck

Dean of Admissions He, Him, His joseph.duck@tufts.edu
Hometown Wheaton, Maryland
Favorite campus spot

Bendetson Hall – it’s where I get to partner with an extraordinary team of colleagues to read the applications (and stories, and aspirations, and journeys, and worldviews) of some of the nation’s, and the world’s, most promising and compelling students as we build each incoming class.

Favorite book(s)

If I had to pick just one: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. But with books, you never have to pick just one, so some close seconds include: The Emperor of all Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. 

Julia Dudley-Kramer

Senior Assistant Director of Admissions She, Her, Hers julia.dudley_kramer@tufts.edu
Hometown Reading, Massachusetts
Favorite work of art

Women of Paris: The Circus Lover by James Jacques Joseph Tissot is one of my favorite lesser-known paintings in the Museum of Fine Arts permanent collection.

Favorite elephant fact

Dumbo was recognized as Time Magazine’s “Mammal of the Year” in December 1941.

Thomas Duncan

Director of SMFA Admissions He, Him, His thomas.duncan@tufts.edu
Hometown Plymouth, Massachusetts
Favorite book(s)

Roussel, Walser, Proust, Stein, Lispector, Michaux, Huysmans, Artaud, Pynchon, Borges, Sterne, Rabelais, Kharms, Vvedensky, Pizarnik, Seneca, Sun Ra, Trakl, Carrington, Mallarmé, Bataille, Celan, Howe, Sarraute, Zürn, any book that has a lot of long lists in it, etc.

Favorite work(s) of art

Laura Owens, Glenn Ligon, James Ensor, Sigmar Polke, Mike Kelley, Fischli+Weiss, Theaster Gates, Tauba Auerbach, Hanne Darboven, John Rafman, Charline von Heyl, Christian Marclay, Isa Genzken, Guy de Cointet, Ree Morton, R.H. Quaytman, Dieter Roth, Adolf Wölfli, Rachel Harrison (did I mention that I’m enthusiastic about a lot of things?)

Mackenzie Gross

Admissions Counselor She, Her, Hers mackenzie.gross@tufts.edu
Hometown Poolesville, Maryland
Favorite book(s)

I have always loved Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. In a more academic context, my favorites are When Should Law Forgive by Martha Minow, The Privileged Poor by Anthony A. Jack, and The End of Adolescence: The Lost Art of Delaying Adulthood by Nancy E. Hill and Alexis Redding.

Favorite work(s) of art

My favorite works of art are Portrait of Madame X and Lake O’Hara by Sargent, Gloucester Harbor at Sunset by Lane, Waterloo Bridge, Sunlight in the Fog by Monet, Winter Sunshine by King, and Leander’s Tower on the Bosporus by Gilford.

Justin Gunn

Assistant Director of Admissions He, Him, His justin.gunn@tufts.edu
Hometown Durham, North Carolina
Favorite Tufts Tradition

Painting the cannon because not only does it allow students to express themselves, but needing to guard it until sunrise adds a bit of a fun challenge

Favorite Quote

"Don’t believe in yourself. Believe in me. Believe in the me who believes in you."

Nicole Horsman

Assistant Director of Admissions She, Her, Hers nicole.horsman@tufts.edu
Hometown Andover, Massachusetts
Favorite elephant fact

Elephants “talk” to each other using low-frequency sounds that humans cannot hear.

Favorite book

Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Jillian Horton

Admissions Counselor She, Her, Hers jillian.horton@tufts.edu
Hometown Nashville, Tennessee
Favorite book

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

Favorite Elephant fact

Elephants have excellent memories and are known to hold long-term grudges against other elephants and even humans!

Marissa Kanakry

Admissions Counselor She, Her, Hers marissa.kanakry@tufts.edu
Hometown Cumberland, Rhode Island
Favorite elephant fact

Elephant herds are matriarchal (female-led).

Favorite Tufts tradition

Pumpkining: On Halloween Day, pumpkins *mysteriously* appear all over campus. If you were to walk around, you'd find pumpkins on lampposts, roofs, and in all sorts of places!

Meredith Lian

Assistant Director of Admissions She, Her, Hers meredith.lian@tufts.edu
Hometown Alexandria, Virginia
Favorite Book:

Recently: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. All time: Persuasion by Jane Austen or The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

Favorite Spot on Campus:

The benches at the top of the President’s lawn -- you get a great view of the Boston skyline and see lots of students around enjoying the outdoor space.

Gracie Marshall '15

Associate Director of Admissions She, Her, Hers grace.marshall@tufts.edu
Hometown Palo Alto, California
Favorite elephant fact

In addition to the familiar trumpet blast sound they're known for, elephants also purr much like cats do.

Tufts class I'd like to take

MUS-44: History of Rock 'n Roll...again

Ellie Miller '22

Assistant Director of Admissions ellen.miller@tufts.edu
Hometown Kansas City, Missouri/Kansas
Favorite Book

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Favorite Tufts Tradition

The midnight organ concert on Halloween!

Indigo Naar '21

Assistant Director of Admissions She, Her, Hers indigo.naar@tufts.edu
Hometown St. Petersburg, Florida
Favorite campus spot

The SMFA Welding Shop

Favorite work of art

The Visitors by Ragnar Kjartansson

Denny Paredes

Director of Strategic Planning He, Him, His denny.paredes@tufts.edu
Hometown New York City, New York
Favorite campus spot

Bendetson Hall. This is not only where I get to meet students on paper in their applications, but also where I connect with them in person once they are on campus!

Favorite Tufts tradition

Painting the cannon, because it gives students an outlet to express themselves in a creative and nontraditional way.

Dan Rodriguez

Assistant Director of Admissions He, Him, His daniel_r.rodriguez@tufts.edu
Hometown Haverhill, Massachusetts
Favorite book

Misery by Stephen King

Favorite work of art

Paul Gauguin, Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? (It’s in the MFA collection!)

Jon Sokolski '14

Associate Director of Admissions He, Him, His jonathan.sokolski@tufts.edu
Hometown Burlington, Massachusetts
Favorite campus spot

Upstairs in the Campus Center (couches, pool tables, and The Sink)!

Favorite Tufts tradition

Not stepping on the Jumbo logo in the lobby of the athletic center

Michelle Sun

Admissions Counselor She, Her, Hers michelle_y.sun@tufts.edu
Hometown New York City, New York
Favorite elephant fact

Elephants are very collaborative and compassionate animals. The herd will work together to protect and nurture the young, find food, and defend against predators. They don’t just help other elephants; they also help other species, too!

Favorite quote

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”

Emily Vislosky

Senior Assistant Director of Admissions She, Her, Hers emily.vislosky@tufts.edu
Hometown Syracuse, New York
Favorite elephant fact

Elephants can swim! They use their trunk like a snorkel.

Favorite book

Educated by Tara Westover or The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Will Wilson '21

Senior Assistant Director of Admissions He, Him, His william.wilson@tufts.edu
Hometown Lewiston, Idaho
Favorite book

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

Favorite campus spot

The top floor of the Campus Center

Tufts University

Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Bendetson Hall
2 The Green
Medford, MA 02155

617-627-3170

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