“What on earth is a Jumbo?” That was the rhetorical question that echoed in my head while I was walking around this orange and red campus last autumn in Medford, Massachusetts. My campus tour during the Voices of Tufts program had stopped in front of a large statue of an elephant with gorgeous fall foliage nestled in on its trunk and its massive feet. Even though the question came with an explanation that unveiled the history of Jumbo, the elephant, I held back from shouting that each and every student is also a Jumbo as well. While zoologists may tell you that these activities and pursuits are uncommon for a mammal of such size, I learned from the fly-in and my first year as a Jumbo that being a Tufts student carries dozens of different definitions.
In my first conversation with a Tufts student during Voices, I sat at a cozy table that hugged one of the yellow pillars in the Carmichael Dining Hall (Carm). I heard not only about the Carm and Dewick rivalry, but about the history of the on-campus coffee shop, The Sink, as well as dozens of other fascinating stories that made the school feel alive. As I learned about culture shows, community centers, and how Tufts cultivates a home away from home, the relics of history floated in front of me like pieces of a puzzle. During my first year, I experimented with different flavor combinations at The Sink, watched our a cappella groups compete in a riff-off, and even settled on the fact that Carm has a better breakfast, but Dewick takes the cake for lunch and dinner.
My next stop on the program were the athletic facilities where my future RA told me about the sports culture and how even though Tufts is Division III, Jumbos are ridden with spirit, fiery with competitiveness, and filled with a desire to win. Throughout many late nights spent in the basketball gym, I can confirm that this spirit is intense, as competitive pickup basketball games would only end when our lungs were empty and our legs gave out. In my first year, this sentiment was solidified by four national championship victories, shared amongst the community.
My next memorable stop was in my host's residence hall. We took a pit stop during the programming where we spontaneously decided to bake cookies, munching on them as the day turned to evening, walking up and down the hills, staring across at the Boston skyline. Our walk was filled with storytelling and enough laughter to have to leave Ginn Library (the talking section). From this, I learned that to be a Jumbo is to go with the flow. Even in my first year, my plans for studying turned into late hours in the library with hilarious study breaks. My intentions of staying inside during a snowstorm turned into a night filled with sledding down Prez-Lawn. One of the most important things about Jumbos is that sometimes the best plan is to be without one.