Miriam Hauptman: We'll start easy. What’s your favorite color?
Emma Pannullo: My favorite color is green by principle--I’ve always said that green is my favorite color. But deep down, I think that my favorite color is blue. Specifically, Tufts blue. It’s beautiful.
MH: So true. Everyone looks good in Tufts blue. So, what are you studying?
EP: I am studying Electrical Engineering because I am a nerd!
MH: Why Engineering?
EP: I’ve always really enjoyed math and science. I’ve always found those subjects most interesting. I wanted to be able to incorporate both of them [along with] creativity. Engineering is perfect harmony between the logical side and the creative side of my brain.
MH: Which classes are you excited about?
EP: I am excited about my Intro to Engineering class because it involves creating and learning about music synthesizers and music is one of my favorite hobbies. I’m also excited about Intro to Western Music. It’s something outside of my major and it’s nice to take something that will give me a break from taking math all day! The course is very discussion-based rather than lecture-based (no taking tons of notes).
MH: I'm liking the discussion-based, seminar-style classes, too. What are your interests outside of school?
EP: Mainly music--both playing and listening. I enjoy having conversations with friends about it and sharing new music with them. I also enjoy physical activities, such as going to the gym, trying out for the women’s ultimate team, or playing tennis with friends. I also enjoy just walking around campus because it’s beautiful and the weather is nice.
MH: Emma played Cough Syrup by Young the Giant on the guitar the other day and it was awesome. Do you have a favorite music artist?
EP: This is tough. I have so many. Too many to name. I like Tokyo Police Club, Bombay Bicycle Club, and everything in between from Radiohead to Bjork to classic folk singers like Bob Dylan.
MH: She has a great taste in music--I can personally attest to this. How did you find a roommate (someone who jams along with you to your music)?
EP: I posted a bio on the Facebook group that was made [by the university]. That was a good outlet because I could write more about myself than I could on a survey. I used the official survey to find the names of people who I could be compatible with. I tried to reach out to those people and I read their bios. I ended up meeting up with someone
When [Miriam and I] video-chatted, I found there were many things I could “check off” my list of stuff I was looking for in a roommate. The best thing you can do [in this process] is to be honest and it turns out we had a lot of things of common. It was super easy to talk with her and it was very exciting.
Tufts did a good job with the roommate process. I’ve heard that in many other schools set you up with a completely random person. Tufts allowed me to reach out to people so I could figure out if there was someone I matched up rather than leaving it to a computer system to match me up with someone based on a couple of survey questions.
MH: What has the transition to college life been like?
EP: It’s weird waking up every morning [knowing that I won't see] my family but it’s really awesome to be in such a tight-knit community where I feel like everyone is really nice and inviting. As much as sometimes you might feel like you’re alone--you’re not with family and friends from home--you very quickly realize that you can create a new sense of independence for yourself and that’s just awesome. The transition was very easy for me because of the people who are here.
MH: What is your favorite aspect of the Tufts experience so far?
EP: Honestly, I’m going to say the people. [The people at Tufts] was one of the things that drew me to the school in the first place. A lot of schools project themselves as having a unique student body but I think that Tufts really holds true to that. The people here have made my experience here over the past two weeks awesome. Everyone here is multi-talented. It doesn’t matter what you do, but everyone loves what they do. I have never met so many people who love what they do--they are excited and passionate about their classes and their activities--and will go out of their way to pursue them.
MH: Ok, I saved the best for last. What's your favorite dining hall food?
EP: I don't want to say it but it's ice cream. I love ice cream.
MH: That's all for now. Thanks, Emma!