6 minute read
Jumbo Magazine - Fall 2023
GABRIELA PEREZ ’25
BIOPSYCHOLOGY AND CHILD STUDY AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT DOUBLE MAJOR FROM HOUSTON, TX
For many first-generation, low-income college students, moving away to college is often equally scary and exciting—especially for those traveling to an entirely distinct part of the country. There is the pressure of learning how to make space for yourself in institutions that were historically exclusionary and contending with the unfamiliarity of academically elite spaces. There’s the question of leaving family behind and learning to turn new peers into familiar faces, friends, and found family. In addition, how does one preserve their culture, identity, and sense of self in college? How do we establish our roots so that we can grow? How do we deal with homesickness? We know that being in new situations, gaining new experiences, and undergoing change are vital for growth, but what does that really look like? Students coming to Tufts from far away create community and craft their own spaces in Medford/Somerville and the Greater Boston area in diverse ways, making a place that was once overwhelmingly novel transform into a space of community and joy. Sophomore Gabriela Perez, ’25, hailing from subtropical Houston, TX, is one such student who has built a community within different centers, clubs, dance groups, and departments at Tufts.
Gabriela’s road to Tufts commenced at the end of her sophomore year of high school when she was accepted into a local college readiness program. Through the program, she toured colleges and was introduced to the fundamentals of college admissions: its jargon, the differences between private and public institutions, the CSS profile, and the QuestBridge program. “That’s when I started learning more about these elite colleges that meet 100 percent of your financial need, like Tufts,” she explains. After receiving her college acceptances, Gabriela ultimately decided to attend Tufts due to its generous financial aid package, setting her sights on leaving eastward to a world of changes.
When asked about her upbringing, Gabriela highlights the common factors binding together her tight-knit Houston community, including its ethnic background and the low-income experience. Her high school had 99 percent minority enrollment, with 88 percent of students being of Hispanic background. At home, she lived in a predominantly Black neighborhood but grew up in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood. Because she shared so many similarities with those around her, she felt that making friendships and connections was easy. “I come from a place where Mexican culture is very prominent. There’s food, there’s dance, and everyone speaks Spanish,” she explains. Naturally, Tufts would provide her with a distinct environment that was, in some ways, more diverse than her hometown but deeply unfamiliar in terms of culture, food, and weather. “I felt like everyone at home had a common foundation of mutual understanding, so coming to Tufts was definitely a big shift. It was pretty difficult for me culturally and socially,” she reflects. When it came to making friends, Gabriela recalls initially struggling during orientation because she did not connect with a majority of the first groups of people she met and because, as an introvert, the pressure to socialize could be exhausting. However, soon after, Gabriela met one of her closest friends, a fellow member of her pre-orientation group, with whom she felt she could connect. Gabriela stresses the importance of meeting people with whom you share some aspects of your identity because creating spaces for mutual understanding and fellowship enriches the college experience.
In search of new friendships and community, Gabriela began attending different events hosted by the Latinx Center and the FIRST Center. Notably, she explored her passion for dance, which was strongly cultivated by her Mexican culture. While at Tufts, Gabriela has been a part of Encendido, Tufts’ Latinx dance team, and ROTI & RUM, Tufts’ Caribbean dance team. Through these two dance teams, she met some of her closest friends, many of whom shared her Mexican, First-Generation, Low Income (FGLI) background. Gabriela also auditioned for other cultural dance groups, such as Tufts Pulse and Tufts Woozy. “I’ve always been interested in different cultures so it was fun delving into them through styles of dance—I really took advantage of these different cultural opportunities because I didn’t have access to them [in Houston],” she says.
Now in her second year at Tufts, Gabriela has declared a biopsychology major, where she explores the intersection between neuroscience, biology, and human behavior. Having taken this important step, Gabriela is excited to devote more time to career exploration and fleshing out what her future could look like. She is currently a research coordinator in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development where she helps with data collection and organization, and mediates students’ transitions from research project planning to execution. She also dedicates much time to FGLI student identity as a Tufts First Gen Collective member and is a high school mentor for Momentum Education, a Houston-based mentorship program for underserved students.
Though Gabriela’s transition to Tufts was initially difficult, it has proved worthwhile and rewarding. She still misses certain aspects of Houston, like the weather and delicious, authentic Mexican food readily available at every corner. However, she’s developed lifelong friendships at Tufts and has taken advantage of community-building opportunities on campus. Additionally, she enjoys attending college in the Boston area, frequenting the Green Line in the direction of the Boston Public Library to study, and going on historical Boston tours to look at the architecture. This summer, Gabriela returned to Houston for an internship supporting caregivers whose family members have cancer at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. “I really enjoy biopsych and human development, but I didn’t know what the intersections of that could be and what careers would look like, so I was excited to explore that this summer,” she states. Gabriela has plenty more time to grow academically, experiment with different dance styles, and make new connections on the Hill. Her story reminds us all that though the college experience can be overwhelming, rewarding, and exciting all at the same time, we are capable and deserving of making it great—so claim spaces, try new things, and hold on tight.
