Tufts Blogs

Sitting here writing my first blog post, I am reminded of the first time I read a Jumbo blog post. It was days after I received my admissions letter from Tufts for ED2 and I romanticized my future life in Medford, MA. What my dorm would look like, what clubs I would join, what kind of people I would meet… And I wondered to myself, “are there any other Mongolian people here at Tufts?” 

Growing up Mongolian-American, it was hard finding community members who I could culturally relate with. I mean, how could I? My parents came to the US from a country that only recently hit a population of 3 million. There were very few of us to begin with, and even fewer of us in the states. Everywhere I went, I would always hear “Oh you’re the first Mongolian person I’ve ever met!” as if it was a remarkable comment that I haven’t heard a million times. Sure, I liked being special and being “one of a kind” and “unique,” but secretly I envied my peers who came from Chinese or Korean centric communities because they could get one another. It wasn’t all bad, though. Still being Asian-American, I held onto that title of my identity and found community through Asian values and customs. But there were still moments where I felt divided. My peers in their co-ethnic groups would ride the train home together and speak to one another in their mother tongues at the lunch table. They had each other. And I had myself. 

I lept onto my laptop and Googled “Tufts University Mongolia.” The first search result was Zaya Jargailsaikhan’s Jumbo Talk profile page on the Tufts Admissions website (Thank God for search engine algorithms.) When I clicked on her profile, I was so jazzed to see that there was another Mongolian person at Tufts. Immediately, I reached out to Zaya on Instagram and introduced myself as a rising first-year at Tufts who is also Mongolian. Sure, it was a little odd to be reaching out to a stranger, but as a fellow Mongolian, this person felt like the family and community I had longed for many years. And to my surprise, Zaya greeted me with open arms and extended her kindness and generosity to me. Present day, Zaya and I are close friends who celebrate Mongolian holidays away from home together, make traditional dumplings together, and even speak in Mongolian in the Mayer Campus Center. We have even met some new Mongolian first-year students and hang out all together as well! 

By writing this blog post, I hope to introduce my ramblings on this website as an open invitation for all those to reach out to me. Whether you have any questions about Tufts or any organizations I’m involved in, or if you also feel marginalized and are also seeking a new friend to be able to relate to your story. I hope that you are able to find what you are looking for here at Tufts Jumbo Blogs. Until then, cheers!