Experience at Voices of Tufts
Alejandro Baez ‘21
Las Vegas, NV
Major(s): Community Health, Clinical Psychology
Involvements on campus: Tisch Scholar, Tufts United for Immigrant Justice
My Experience at Voices of Tufts, was just that, conversations and interactions that still echoes within me as I continue my journey here at Tufts. When I first arrived to Tufts for Voices, I was taken aback by how warm and inviting people were. Despite the northeastern cold battering all of us, people were up and about, their passion serving as kindling for their drive and motivation. I also remember the conversations had at Goddard Chapel, where Voices participants could ask any and all questions about Tufts to current students. The students were entirely honest and I admired this. They were committed to giving us the unfiltered version because they cared about our choice in choosing the school we would eventually call home. This air of authenticity permeates every corner of this campus. Whether it’s the memes all around my host’s apartment or midnight conversations regarding heavy topics such as moving far away from family, people at Tufts were unapologetically themselves and in their actions and thoughts. While many of the people that I met at the Voices fly-in have graduated already, each year I am experiencing the campus light up with passionate, sincere, and kind new faces, those reminiscent of the people at Voices.
Mina Brewer ‘17
Tucson, AZ
Probable Major: American Studies & Environmental Studies
Involvements on campus: Intern at Tufts Recycles!, Ambassador to Tufts ISIP (Intercultural and Social Identities Program), Students for Justice in Palestine, Food for Thought, Living in the Green House, Voices of Tufts Diversity Experience Ambassador
During the Voices program, Tufts came alive in a flow of warmth emanating from the welcoming people, the fall colors, and the rich variety of opinion. I sat on the ground in an Intro to Queer Studies class and watched students create intricate arguments critiquing radical feminist perspectives on the trans* community. I watched a group of students perform an ode to fictional villains (and was ecstatic to learn that Tufts students love A Very Potter Musical as much as I do.) At Tufts, I felt not just content, but embraced by the whole school, and I continue to feel this way every day. When I walk up the library steps and pass 5 of my friends, or while sitting on the press lawn with friends from my floor on a balmy 55 degree day after the horrible winter, I feel the community that keeps Tufts together.
Brian Leung ‘18
San Jose, California
Potential Major: Biology
When I came home from Voices, I could not stop talking about Tufts (I didn't realize until my friends pointed it out). I smiled clumsily every time I mentioned the elephant statue in front of the biology building or my experiences walking through the cozy campus. It only feels like yesterday when I walked down Professor’s Row, surrounded by the whirling salmon and peach-colored leaves as they slowly fell from the trees. Perhaps it was the smell of freshly braised lamb chops from Dewick Dining halls or the arrangement of random pumpkins on the roof or those hidden in the corners of buildings that attracted me towards Tufts. Walking through the rows of old manuscripts and aged books on the third floor of Tisch Library just felt… right. Nothing was more heart-warming than seeing the flush of students rushing to their dorm room doors to welcome me among others to Tufts. As I spent more time researching about the opportunities and listening to my Tufts father’s (my host for Voices) stories about the little traditions and close relationships between faculty and students, I gradually became more and more enchanted by what Tufts had to offer. It was the one; my gut declared it without a doubt.