Tufts Blogs

With the thanksgiving countdown in full swing, I thought it’d be fitting to share a little bit of what I’m thankful for. Before coming to Tufts, I’d never been away from home without my family. I mean, I’d slept over at a few friends houses and spent two nights at the all state honor band competition, but other then that I had always had at least one family member at my side. We’re talking no sleep away camp, no extended trips to Nana and Papa’s, and surely no boarding school/study abroad trips. I also have lived in the same house my whole life. No big moves across country or new rooms to adjust to, home was always just home. 

Obviously, coming to Tufts meant that for the first time, I would really be on my own in a totally new place. I wish I could tell you that I was equal parts nervous and excited to stand on my own two feet away from home, but the truth is I was many more parts nervous then excited. While being away from family is still hard, Tufts has also started to feel like a home, which is one of the many things I have to be thankful for this thanksgiving. Not only is Tufts an amazing place to study, but its a great place to call home for a while. That being said, I still miss my, “home-home”, and can’t wait until thanksgiving to be back in my house surrounded by family and of course our puppy Sadie. 

Since I’ve been thinking a lot about home, I remembered one of the questions on the Tufts supplement. The dreaded “let your life speak” prompt that seemingly asks you to cram the best, most interesting parts of your upbringing into 200-250 words. Yikes. While I’m not an admissions officer, and have absolutely no impact on your application, I think the trick to this question is, you really have to follow the saying and “let you life speak”, and not try to speak for it. And yes, I know that advice is more cryptic than helpful. I guess my plan of attack for answering such a huge question in so little words was to think about the moments and things I wouldn’t trade for the world, the little things I was the most thankful for, and write about them. 

If I could have included an image with this essay, it probably would have been this one of me playing Wiffle Ball in the backyard with my siblings and our Golden Retriever, Morgan. 

There is a Quaker saying: "Let your life speak." Describe the environment in which you were raised - your family, home, neighborhood, or community - and how it influenced the person you are today. (200-250 words)

A lot of growing up happened in our little yellow house on George Street. It’s where I watched my first Mets game, read Curious George by myself the first time, and learned that even dogs go to heaven. At dinner each Friday night I learned the value of family. One by one we shared our favorite parts of the week; starting with my brother Max, then my sister Molly, and then me. My parents always claimed that dinner with us was their favorite thing, so eventually we just skipped them. Despite the miles separating us, we always called Nana and Papa to say the blessing over the challah and light the shabbat candles. 

I don’t know if the grass in our yard will ever recover. The pitcher’s mound and home plate are patches of dirt amidst the green grass. Even though we’ve long outgrown our homemade field, it still holds a special place in my heart; it’s where I learned to play softball.

Living in Saratoga Springs taught me a set of lessons all on its own. Home of the historic horse racing track, Saratoga attracts crowds on opposite ends of the spectrum. While women in fancy hats stroll downtown, there is an ever present homeless population hoping to win big. The presence of homelessness in our community opened my eyes to all I have to be grateful for. Most of all, it taught me to appreciate the little yellow house on George Street, and all the people in it.