Finding Mentorship at SMFA
Almost every time I’m sitting in the SMFA atrium in the early morning, inhaling a breakfast sandwich and large coffee, I’m approached by a current or…
Community at Tufts
This past weekend was homecoming weekend, an opportunity for current and former Jumbos to gather together to eat food, watch the football and other sports teams, and reunite. This day of Jumbo pride got me thinking about what it means to be a part of the Tufts community. It’s quite hard, but definitely possible, to feel a strong connection to a group of thousands of other people. I believe that it’s the communities that students develop within the Tufts community at large that make Tufts a place that alum want to come back to.
It’s not hard to notice after some time on the Tufts campus that every student feels particularly connected to certain communities within Tufts. For me, this community has been my band, the Tufts Wind Ensemble. I’m beyond honored to currently serve as President of this group that has given so much to me since my first rehearsal, over three years ago now. Finding and developing close relationships with friends at Tufts did not happen overnight, and was a slower process for me than some of my classmates. The warm and welcoming community I found it Wind Ensemble made this slower process much less taxing and showed me that I would be able to find friends at Tufts. After every rehearsal, those of us that aren’t busy, head to Dewick for WE (which stands for Wind Ensemble) dinner. It was so refreshing to know that twice a week I wouldn’t have to make dinner plans, as I could head to the dining hall with the best musicians on campus.
Three years later, as the head of this group with such a special place in my heart, it’s my responsibility to make sure that the members feel just as welcomed as I did. This sense of paying it forward is what makes the Tufts community so special. This connection to a community within Tufts makes me feel connected to all of Tufts, as I know that many students feel as connected as I do to Wind Ensemble to so many other groups on campus. My connection to Wind Ensemble doesn’t make my other Tufts communities or connections more or less valuable, rather it helps to explain why I care so much about Tufts. Through my experience in the Wind Ensemble community, I know Tufts has the potential to transform the students who go here and provide them with a second (or even first) home.
