This week it finally hit me… I am graduating from Tufts University in one month. Why did this just hit me now? It was the sunshine and the spring weather that finally decided to show up. It was going down to the finish line of the Boston Marathon for the Sports Illustrated cover photo shoot with thousands of other Bostonians, realizing that this city will no longer be my home in a few weeks. It was submitting the final draft of my senior capstone project. It was running one of my last track races ever with 50 teammates cheering me on. But more than anything, it was meeting many of the members of the Class of 2018 at the Tufts Jumbo Days. Such a humbling and reflective week to say the least.
As I stood on stage in front of the hundreds of admitted students and their parents both Thursday and Friday mornings, I recognized how far I had come. I thought back to four years ago when the quiet and introverted Lauren was sitting in those chairs. Today, I am a completely different person. I am now often told to quiet down because I am too loud, too talkative, and always excited.
In his welcoming Jumbo Days speech, Dean Lee Coffin spoke on growth and change. I recognize how for incoming freshman that idea seems very intangible and abstract. Growth and change is not something that you can force or that happens instantaneously, it happens overtime through experience, through the people you meet, through uncomfortable or challenging situations, and through the willingness to be open, spontaneous, and flexible. I also realize that no matter where one ends up attending college, change and growth is unavoidable. Four years later, I firmly believe that I would not be the person I am today if it wasn’t for Tufts.
One question asked by an admitted student on Thursday left me thinking. He said, “In most of the mail I receive from Tufts, it describes its students as quirky and smart. Are all of the people here quirky?” I laughed a bit because I've never seen anything in print or online the word quirky but it got me thinking about the word. Here are some of my thoughts on “quirky” at Tufts.
I believe that every person has quirks, or characteristics that make them unique and individual. One person might interpret those characteristics as different, or weird, while another person could view those same traits as completely normal. Therefore, classifying all people at Tufts as “quirky” is just wrong. Tufts offers the largest variety of people one could possibly imagine. Within the 5,000 student population, the chances of finding another student with similar interests and passions as you is extremely high. Also, if everyone was “normal,” life would be extremely boring in my opinion.
One of the most beautiful and celebrated aspects of Tufts is the comfortable, safe, judgment-free, open, and welcoming environment. The atmosphere surrounding the Tufts community offers a place where people feel comfortable just being themselves, and expressing their “quirks.” To me, this idea is as simple as feeling at home. I know it is at home and around my family that I am my most authentic, natural, and carefree self. The fact that Tufts feels like home, and that my friends and teammates have become my family is incredibly special and rare. That is all I could have asked for out of a college experience.
In summary…
1) The world is full of “quirky” people, and how one views quirky versus normal varies from person to person.
2) Whether its painting, horseback riding, rock climbing, China, theater, music, soccer, or physics that turns you on, there is someone at Tufts that gets excited about that same thing. We all have passions and interests, and Tufts offers you a place to share those with other people.
3) Growth and change is inevitable no matter where you go to college, but I can strongly say that Tufts is an amazing place to do so. The people here are welcoming, accepting, well-rounded, and interesting, making it easy to open up and discover who you really are and the person you want to be. If anything, I feel overwhelmed with people and friends whom I love.
4) The friends whom I consider to be “quirky” are my favorites. They have different interests than me, so therefore, I am constantly learning from them and intrigued by their conversation.
WELCOME CLASS OF 2018!!
Warning: As graduation gets closer and closer, this is probably the beginning of many reflective and emotional blog posts.