Meet the Diversity Admissions Team

Hii! My name is Alvalyn (pronounced Al-vuh-lin) and I’m from Chicago, Illinois. I’m a junior majoring in Clinical Psychology with a passion to de-stigmatize and reform how mental health is viewed within Black and Brown communities. Outside of this passion, I am a devotee of the arts! Can you guess my favorite part about the Tufts campus? I love seeing the world-renowned cannon as students are able to artistically display announcements, opinions, and concerns. If I’m not checking out the canon then you can always find me on Tisch Roof, reading a good book, or listening to music (feel free to send book/song recs)!

I went to a predominately white boarding school and I actively did not enjoy my time. Although I was presented with many opportunities at my prep school, I always felt out of place as a first-generation low-income queer Asian-American. Too Asian for the white American students, but too American for the international Asian students. Always never wealthy enough, and never straight or masculine enough. When I was applying to colleges, I knew that I wanted to go to a school that was the opposite of my high school. I wanted a space that had a more diverse student body, was committed to being LGBTQ+ friendly, and proudly meets 100% of demonstrated financial need. At Tufts, I found all of that and more. Only a few T stops away from Boston, Tufts offers a place where I feel like I belong and I can call home.

Hey jumbos and future jumbos. I am Gabe Baez, a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering and minoring in engineering management. I am from Westchester, New York, but my family is from Puerto Rico. You can find me playing ping pong in the student center, building stuff in the SEC, or in the gym. At Tufts I am involved with the Latinx center and the ambassador program helping answer questions from prospective students. For fun I enjoy watching sports or love island in my suite with my roommates, playing pick-up basketball, and jamming on guitar with my friends. I am so excited to meet you all.

I am a first-generation student from a small town in Brazil called Janaúba. My whole high school was at a Brazilian public state school where the primary language of instruction was Portuguese. Until my senior year, I had no clue about studying in the U.S. Fortunately, everything changed after I got selected by Education USA to have my college application process fully funded through their Opportunity Funds Program. Having college websites as the only tool to get to know U.S universities, I chose Tufts because its willingness to support research, internships, study-abroad, and civic leadership initiatives was clearly stated on its website. While at Tufts, I am working to modernize the Brazilian educational system through democratizing the access to educational simulators, which are electronic games with academic purposes. My biggest dream is to increase the attractiveness and quality of pedagogical methodologies in Brazilian public schools and, consequently, decrease the inequality between private and public educational institutions. Indeed, education has given hope for my future and I plan to use it to improve others’ lives and circumstances as well.

When I was searching for schools to apply to, I knew that I didn’t want my college experience to be like that of high school. My high school lacked racial and ethnic diversity, and so in many ways, I felt different and alone. Little did I know that because of this, I hated myself. In many ways, Tufts taught me how to love myself and appreciate being a POC. I continually found myself in spaces where I could be my true self including Capen House and even at the local Starbucks in Davis Square. Each time I meet a new person on campus - whether it be at Tisch, in the dining hall, or on President’s Lawn - I am always amazed at how unapologetic they are about being themselves. And this is what I love so much about Tufts. We refuse to be ashamed of who we are. What I used to see as being a disadvantage, I now embrace and use it to my advantage. For me, Tufts is a place of raw authenticity and unconditional love, and each day challenges me to be a better and truer version of myself.

I’m a senior studying Biomedical Engineering and am also part of Bridge to Engineering Success at Tufts (BEST) Cohort 10. On a typical day, you will find me talking and ranting to anyone who will listen or sticking up for what I believe in. I chose Tufts because the smaller environment gave me the attention I thought I needed. After being here for a while I found that my favorite part is the DSDI (Division for Student Diversity and Inclusion), especially the Africana Center and the Center for STEM Diversity. I have joined many organizations in my time at Tufts, from BlackOut to TCU Senate to STEM Ambassadors. I found that being on the DAT would be a great way to share my knowledge of the Tufts campus both socially and academically. In my time at Tufts, I have also done research on the blood-brain barrier and C. difficile. In my time at Tufts, I learned so much about myself that I would love to share and give back to the community. Please reach out!!

In 2020 I attended the Voices program which made me fall in love with Tufts. I immediately saw myself being a part of the Tufts community because of the emphasis placed on diversity and inclusion. Additionally, the strong relationship between students and faculty was an aspect of Tufts that allured me. I walked into the college admissions process knowing that I’d want to go to a university where I’d have access to my professors in and outside of the classroom and that is something I found at Tufts.The Voices program also showed me that being a Tufts student entails that I’d have access to an abundance of resources. Oftentimes when I’m overwhelmed on campus, I’d walk into Capen house and be greeted with friendly smiles and faces. Not only do these resources that Tufts offers set me up for success, but they’ve also allowed me to make connections with those around me. If it weren’t for the spaces on campus that were made to embrace and accept me, I truly believe that my experience would’ve been vastly different. Thus, I’m happy to be apart of the Diversity Admissions Team because I want students to be aware of all the resources that are available to them so they wouldn’t feel abandoned or alone in their college experience.

Hey everyone, my name is Ishika Gupta and I am a sophomore at Tufts University. I absolutely adore tufts- especially the beautiful campus and all the amazing opportunities that I have got since being here. I chose Tufts because I wanted to be at a place which is full of collaborative and intellectually curious individuals who want to create change. I am on the Diversity Admissions Team because being an international student and having transferred to Tufts, I want to be able to share my experiences as a person of color with future incoming students and allow them to reach out to me with questions, doubts, and concerns.

Hello, Jumbos! I'm Jed, a sophomore from San Diego county, California currently studying Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology. I picked Tufts because I wanted to catch a glimpse of the world outside the West Coast and Boston is an awesome starting point (with Tufts boasting awesome engineering programs and curricula)! As I enjoy being my authentic self here at Tufts, I'm on the Diversity Admissions Team to emphasize that Tufts welcomes you for who you are and is excited to see you grow as a person and leave a lasting impact during and after your Tufts experience. In my free time, I collect enamel pins from places I travel to and stream music via Spotify nonstop.

Coming to Tufts as a transfer student, I was excited but at the same – probably even more – nervous to start a new chapter in my life. I was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea before my freshman year in California, which heightened my nervousness about transitioning into Tufts even more. Tufts’ liberal arts education with its interdisciplinary focus and its prime location with access to the T were what initially drew me to Tufts. What I didn’t expect though was how it would guide me to discover my intersectionality. During my first week at Tufts participating in the Global Orientation pre-orientation program, I was meeting new first-year and transfer students from quite literally all over the world. The experience made me appreciate my international, multicultural, Asian, and Korean identity more than ever. Being a Diversity Admissions Team Agent, I hope to contribute to amplifying the discussions of various identities!

Hi jumbos, I am Beverlyn Medina a sophomore majoring in Human factors engineering and possibly minoring in engineering management. I am from Montgomery Village, Maryland, so I love representing the DMV. But my ethnicity is Guatemalan so I also have to represent the Latinx community. I chose tufts because they have very good resources for first Gen students as well as undocumented students. Coming from a low-income public school my first semester didn’t go as planned, especially adjusting to the fast pace learning style. But once I reached out for help I found that Tufts has many resources, from the star center to many tutors and study groups. Tufts has made it an easier adjustment to their learning style. I am on the Diversity Admission team because I’d like to represent my community and bring awareness to certain issues that affect students like me that the rest of our peers won’t understand. 

At Tufts, I am involved with the SOE (Society of Women Engineers), SOLES (society of Latinx engineers and Scientists), dog lovers (which I get to walk dogs every week), and Girl Gains(Women empowerment in lifting). I am also a member of the First center and the Latinx center.