Leaving Home
Alejandro Baez ‘21
Las Vegas, NV
Major(s): Community Health, Clinical Psychology
Involvements on campus: Tisch Scholar, Tufts United for Immigrant Justice
After the exhilaration from being accepted into Tufts waned, I quickly realized that I was moving well over 2,000 miles away from my home, Las Vegas, to an area I wasn’t even remotely familiar with. Upon arriving to Tufts, I was welcomed into the community with open arms and event after event that connected the bustling student body together. Slowly I grounded myself into the environment and explored the many opportunities offered here. I would meet passionate club members and classmates who would turn into people I now consider lifelong friends. My understanding of the world was heightened by the new and shared experiences and stories that I encountered. I While I initially felt anxious about the move, the Tufts community has grown into an extended branch of my “family”, a term that encompasses the people that support and love me unconditionally. Now my notion of home extends from Las Vegas to Medford and I'm excited to grow and flourish alongside my communities.
Brian Leung ‘18
San Jose, California
Potential Major: Biology
Jump forward and don’t be afraid to look further than just your state or region. When I was researching about colleges, I narrowed most of my searches towards colleges in California. I was afraid of leaving friends, leaving home, and leaving the near-perfect weather. It was somewhat a barrier to me because I wasn’t really looking for what fit; I was merely looking for what would resemble home. But luckily through the encouragements of my friends and counselors, I began to look for colleges outside of California. Here I am today, excited to come to Boston as part of the class of 2018!
Michael Zalesne ‘16
Columbia, SC
Major: Biopsychology
Involvements on campus: Synthetic Biology Club, Tufts Sustainability Collective, Active Minds, Tufts Mountain Club, TA for Introduction to Biology courses, Voices of Tufts Diversity Experience Ambassador
Tufts does a great job of getting you adjusted. Tufts provides a plethora of opportunities for students to explore their interests in many areas on campus. At the beginning of the semester there is a big activities fair for students to get involved with the many clubs on campus with interests ranging from MMA to Synthetic Biology. With advice from orientation leaders, students sign up for many clubs settling into the ones that they find the most interesting and meeting new friends.