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Tufts Admissions Team

Most Common Questions I get as a First-Gen Latina Engineer on Tour

Jul 14
Alexa Santa Cruz Jumbo Talk

 

Hello Dearest Readers, my favorite part of giving tours is when prospective students ask questions. I find it so important to be transparent and so now I get to share some of my personal opinions/experiences with you all!


Question 1: Why did you decide to study engineering? 


I didn’t know I wanted to be an engineer until my senior year of high school. I thought that I was going to be an immigration lawyer. What I was looking for in a career was something that helps people. In my senior year, I worked for a medical device company, Medtronic. At this job, I saw how devices and engineers were improving people’s quality of life, and I soon realized that this was a career for me. I wanted to problem solve and work with my hands as well as others and luckily engineering has provided me with all of that.


Question 2: What’s it like being a female in engineering? 


The really cool and unique thing about Tufts Engineering is that the student body is roughly 50/50 female and male. I am never just the only female in the class and it’s great, I love how diverse the school is which gives different perspectives and ideas. Furthermore, the Mechanical and Human Factors Engineering department does a female panel with the professors and alums to get their perspectives as well as advice. It’s really great having female professors who I often have as role models and mentors. 

Another great resource is the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). They have a meeting every week, networking, mentorship as well as an annual conference to better support their students. Additionally, something more specific to Tufts is the Women’s Center, it’s this super cute and cozy house where students can go study, sometimes there are events and it’s a great space that I like to utilize. So to answer this question short and sweet, it’s great, I love how much support I have and how much of an effort Tufts has in valuing their female engineers. 

 

Question 3: What’s it like being the first in your family to go to college?


To preface, Tufts considers you as FIRST if your parents didn’t go to college in the US if they didn’t go to a private university, or if your parents didn’t go to college at all. Going to a private university in the US is a unique experience so I appreciate that Tufts allows all these students to have the resources from the FIRST Center.

That being said…neither of my parents went to college and I am the daughter of immigrants so my college transition and experience are different than most. It can often be hard because I was the one organizing my college tours, doing my financial aid, and figuring out where to go to school. At times it was stressful but I am the one who was going to college so everything was catered to how I wanted it because I was doing all the work. I am incredibly grateful for the support of my parents but they often cannot relate to the experiences I am going through. This is why I am constantly utilizing the FIRST Center. I did BEAST the pre-orientation program for first-generation low-income students (FGLI). This experience not only taught me how to make the most of my time in college but I got a sense of community and can connect with people who share similar experiences.

 

Question 4: What is the Latin culture like at Tufts?


The Latin culture is very strong here on campus. We have our own Latinx house that hosts lots of events and there’s even a picture of when Rita Moreno came to visit. There’s SOLES which is the Society of Latin Engineers and Scientists, and they host lots of great events. ALAS, Association of Latin American Students always hosts an event for Hispanic Heritage Month as well as a Spring show. My personal favorite is Encendido which is one of our Latin dance teams here and we do shows every semester and open lessons to help foster community within the Latin population. The student body is so lovely and it feels like I have a second family here at Tufts because we all grew up so similar and have common interests.

On a different note the Center for STEM Diversity (CSD) does a lot of great things to foster a sense of community. Through the CSD I have gotten to participate in STEM Ambassadors where I go to local high schools and teach about STEM so I enjoy having that opportunity to share my experiences and advice with students who grew up very similarly to me. The Mechanical and Human Factors Engineering DEIJ board is also a great opportunity that I am excited to run this year. It is a student-run board where we get students to bond together and make sure that all students feel supported in this department. We host an event called “Complaints” and students can anonymously say how they’re feeling and how the department should improve. We give the notes to the professors and faculty members and they really do implement and take seriously the constructive criticism. I love my professors because they all truly care for their students and only want them to succeed.


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Overall, I’d say college is what you make of it, but at Tufts, there is an abundance of resources and programs to help make your experience as positive as it can be. Students and faculty members only want students to do their best, have fun, and learn! So hopefully if you share any similar identities as me, you will now be able to picture yourself as a student at Tufts.

About the Author

Alexa Santa Cruz

View Bio & Articles
Related Topics
Diversity Engineering First-Generation Students Women in Engineering
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