Profile of Krithi Ram-Junnarkar '22

Talking to Krithi Ram-Junnarkar ’22 about her interests and passions is an amazing introduction to the significance of community. She believes that “nobody should settle for a space that they don’t feel welcome in, or that doesn’t feel right for them.” During her time at Tufts, Krithi has greatly impacted the spaces she creates for others, those she occupies herself, and those she endeavors to transform for the better.

Krithi is a senior majoring in sociology on the pre-med track. For her, the connection between the two fields of study is obvious. “Medicine doesn’t happen in a vacuum by any means,” she says. “A lot of pre-health students don’t take the time and the energy to unpack their preconceived biases and the ways that we’ve learned information in the past. We have to understand that even our understanding of biology is based on systems of white supremacy and colonialism. If people want to be empathetic and skilled doctors, that involves a lot more than just technical skill. It involves an understanding of the systems we are functioning in and the populations we are serving.” Rather than just treating science as objective truth, Krithi believes in critically viewing the systems that established those truths. Although sociology itself is a flawed field, often structured around whiteness and difficult to navigate as a person of color, it is with this background that Krithi looks to address current health practices.

Portrait of Krithi standing in front of a building with one arm crossed and the other pointing upward with her hand touching her face.

Beyond the classroom, Krithi is also a member of the Tufts Bhangra Team, a co-director of the South Asian Political Action Community (SAPAC), a Tisch Scholar, and a member of Essence, Tufts’ all-women a cappella group specializing in music from the African Diaspora and tradition. On Essence, she says that “as a non-Black person, I’ve been grateful to have that space shared with me, and I think it definitely is a different space than a lot of the other a cappella groups. The music is special because it’s so meaningful to people and there’s such a rich history.” This care and attention to shared cultural space is also a big part of Krithi’s involvement with SAPAC. The goal of SAPAC is to create a community for South Asian students who are passionate about politics, history, identity, and social issues having to do with South Asia and the diaspora. They work on fundraising, responding to issues that are affecting South Asian communities and other communities they stand in solidarity with, and hosting educational events to foster conversation within the South Asian Community at Tufts. They also have fun together. When I speak with Krithi, she shares that just the previous weekend SAPAC put on a symposium displaying art, academic work, and dance by South Asian Tufts community members. “It just really warmed my heart how people were impacted by it and felt a sense of community they hadn’t felt in a long time.”

As a Tisch Scholar, Krithi has worked with the Cambridge Health Alliance since the beginning of her sophomore year. During her junior year, she worked to combat food insecurity in the surrounding community with the Somerville Food Security Coalition. The year before, she worked in the Community Room, a drop-in space for adults living with mental illnesses to hang out and be around people with similar experiences. Of both her Tisch Scholar work and her extracurricular involvement on campus, she says, “I think recently I’ve been appreciating more and more the importance of making impacts on the community level. I have played a role, I think, in bringing people together and creating spaces where people feel welcomed and held, and I feel like, even though it’s a small impact, it’s important.”

Across the board, Krithi Ram-Junnarkar is dedicated to finding and creating meaningful spaces. At Tufts, she says, “there are a lot of spaces that are welcoming and nurturing. Once you’re in those spaces, invest time, energy, and yourself into those spaces, and they will support you in return.” With students like Krithi putting conscious effort into considering the purpose of a space, whether it be physical or as nebulous as an academic field, any student can look forward to finding considerate spaces of their own.—SUSANNAH MURRAY ’24