Meet the Student Communications Group
All that jazzy content you see in Jumbo and on our social media? These are the folks behind it. They're real, live Tufts students with a flair for making videos, podcasts, and articles, a great sense of humor at our weekly meetings, and a desire to share their experiences with you. Meet them below, and in every issue of Jumbo Magazine!
Maddie Cortesi is a senior from Springfield, Virginia, double majoring in Sociology and STS (Science, Technology, & Society), and minoring in Medieval Studies. Outside of classes, tour guiding, and the SCG, she is a cheerleader on the Tufts Club Cheer team (Let’s Go ‘Bo’s!), a musician & librarian for the Tufts Wind Ensemble, and Co-President/Design Head for The Lantern, an STS student think tank and magazine publication club. In 2024, she got to play the role of a School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) student, commuting back and forth between the Medford and Boston campuses to do creative research on Queer Feminist Science, Technology, & Society studies through the Tufts Summer Scholars program. In previous years, Maddie has been both a participant and student leader of the CREATE Pre-Orientation program. In her free time, she loves podcasts, playing weird renaissance wind instruments like recorders and krummhorns, dressing up with friends, and FaceTiming her two kitties at home in VA. She’s excited to share some school spirit with prospective Jumbos!
Ruby is a junior from Easthampton, MA studying political science and minoring in English. Outside the time spent in the admissions office, Ruby is also a research assistant for the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), a member of the Middle East Research Group, and an avid visitor of the Crafts Center. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, exploring Boston, and watching sitcoms with her housemates. She is incredibly excited to join the SCG and share more about her life at Tufts!
Shannon is a sophomore at Tufts from Melrose, Massachusetts (about 20 minutes away from campus). She is majoring in English and spends a lot of time writing, whether it's for Jumbo or the Tufts Daily and hopes to one day work as a journalist. Her current obsessions include iced coffee, sketch comedy skits, postmodernist films, and yoga. You can typically find Shannon on campus enjoying a Medford Fog at the Sink, working in the Daily office, or sitting on the 6th floor of the Joyce Cummings Center deeply invested in a random series of Wikipedia pages.
Jed is a junior studying Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology. Eager to travel to places near and far, stream Spotify music nonstop, and trying out new flavors and dishes, he enjoys learning more about the power of science and drug/therapeutic discovery in a world recently marred by COVID-19 from cancer immunology to protein engineering. Originally from San Diego, CA and the Philippines, Jed is currently obsessed with badminton, anything tropical, ramen, acai, and boba. He hopes that through storytelling, prospective students can learn more–and potentially relate–on what it is like to be a Jumbo. He is also involved with the FIRST Resource Center, CMHS Mental Health Reps, the Center for STEM Diversity, and Tisch Library.
Afua (she/her) is a sophomore double majoring in clinical psychology and community health with a child studies minor. Afua works for the digital media team of Tufts Undergraduate Admissions Student Communication Group. She's also a Women Center Intern, works at Cohen Auditorium, and recently joined the Psychology Department Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. In her free time, Afua loves to spend time with her friends, scroll on social media, exploring Boston, shopping, watching shows on Netflix, & napping.