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Greetings From the Dean
FROM THE DEAN
GREETINGS,
You belong here.
That is how I hope you feel by the time you’re done reading this issue of Jumbo Magazine.
Tufts University is a diverse community: our undergraduate students come to our Medford/ Somerville & Boston campuses from all 50 US states and more than 80 countries across six continents. They come from households that speak dozens of languages; English is a second or third language for very many of them. They come with aspirations in STEM fields, or humanities, or social sciences, or fine arts, or performing arts, or all of the above. They each come with their own unique lived experiences that have shaped them and their perspectives on the world.
Our students thrive when they feel that they can show up as their whole selves, and know that they can do so in our classrooms, in our residential spaces, in our athletic fields, on our stages, in our research labs, and as full members of our broader community. Belonging looks different for each of us. You might find your sense of belonging when you see a rainbow pride sticker on a faculty member’s door. Or when you see a student reading All About Love by bell hooks on the Academic Quad. Or when you see someone from your hometown playing on our lacrosse team. Or when your Tufts tour guide describes our students as “kind nerds” and you can’t help but see yourself in that description. Or when you learn that Tufts meets 100% of a family’s demonstrated financial need, regard less of citizenship status, and suddenly this place becomes even more accessible. Or when the Tufts vibe that you come to feel through this magazine, through virtual events, and potentially even a visit to campus, reso nates with you in a meaningful way.
In this issue, we explore how our students and faculty both find and create belonging at Tufts. You will learn how Ayomide Oloyede ’25 has found community across disciplines while
1,200 miles from home. You will discover how Professor Valencia Koomson’s electrical engineering lab furthers equitable healthcare outcomes. And after reading about our inclusive approach to dining (we have an entire dining hall that is peanut, tree nut, and gluten free!), our commitment to building strong faculty/student collaborations, and the wide variety of student organizations and research opportunities here, I hope that you will see how you belong at Tufts.
Sincerely,
