INFOGRAPHIC

DINING HALL HACK: BREAKFAST BURRITO

LOOKING TO ADD A LITTLE SPICE to everyone’s favorite meal of the day? Both Carmichael and Dewick are stocked with the perfect ingredients to make a breakfast burrito. Grab a tortilla and some scrambled eggs (egg whites will also do just  ne). From there, the burrito can be customized with some piping-hot add-ins, including hash browns, roasted potatoes, bacon, and sausage—don’t forget Tufts’ stellar vegetarian options, too! Of course, top the burrito with shredded cheese, diced tomatoes or salsa, and plenty of hot sauce. And if the burrito’s too full to roll, put it in a panini press for a minute. It’ll come out crispy, warm, gooey, and so delicious!

A REAL YET RANDOM, PLAYFUL YET SERIOUS SPIN AROUND CAMPUS— AND JUST BEYOND AND JUST BEYOND

EXCOLLEGE HIGHLIGHT: DANCEHALL QUEENS: ANALYZING BODIES, POWER, AND RESISTANCE THROUGH DANCE

WHO ARE DANCEHALL QUEENS? What role do bodies and embodiment play in resistance? This course seeks to explore these questions through studying the lives, music, and works of Dancehall Queens. Taught by visiting instructor Onisha Etkins, a PhD candidate at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the course features interdisciplinary classes, interesting discussions on power inside and outside the Dancehall, and two dance class sessions (no prior dance experience required!). Etkins guides students through questions about what roles bodies, sexuality, and performance play for Dancehall Queens and how we interpret dance as a power of expression and culture.

TUFTS TWEET

@TUFTSUNIVERSITY Tufts professor Jennifer Burton and her four sisters  lmed on and around Tufts, and even included  lm students in the editing process. NAVIGATING THE PANDEMIC: KNOWLEDGE, RESILIENCE, CIVIC PURPOSE,

recently released the web comedy series ‘Old Guy,’ which had scenes AND ENGAGEMENT

TUFTS’ TISCH COLLEGE OF CIVIC LIFE launched an eightweek webinar geared at supporting students and the Tufts community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking place weekly beginning on June 10, it drew on the expertise of Tisch College faculty and staff, Tufts faculty in a range of academic disciplines, and experts from Boston-area universities, hospitals, and community nonpro t organizations.

WHAT WE’RE READING: RED DRESS IN BLACK AND WHITE BY ELLIOT ACKERMAN ’03

A GRADUATE OF TUFTS and the Fletcher School, Elliot Ackerman is a former Marine of cer and widely acclaimed author. His latest book is a novel that unfolds over the course of a single day in Istanbul, telling the story of an American woman attempting to leave her life in Turkey behind—including her husband—and claim her own path.

‘TIL NEXT TIME

“TO THE BIG YELLOW HOUSE on the corner of Professors Row: you’ve been a place of comfort for me when I wanted to cry, laugh, commune with others, or bask in the joy that exists in being Black and a Jumbo. Thank you for being a space where TikToks are spontaneously made, where Pearl bakes cakes for us all to enjoy, and where ‘late-night Capen’ takes place. Thank you for being home. My introduction to the Africana Center started in late August 2016 when I did Students’ Quest for Unity in the African Diaspora (SQUAD) pre-orientation. Those couple of days helped me understand the support that was available to me as a Black student on campus. From sitting in the lounge learning from seniors my  rst year, to making gingerbread cookies with my advisory group my second year, to sitting with Dom and chatting about life my senior year, these walls have been a source of comfort and joy.” —Kella Merlain-Moffatt ’20

OUTRAGEOUS PLANS FOR SENSIBLE IDEAS

SMFA SENIOR THESIS EXHIBITS are always exciting moments that recognize the hard work of graduating artists. But as COVID-19 left campuses empty and spring semester plans up in the air, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts found a creative solution to celebrate its 2020 graduates and the culmination of their thesis work. The virtual end-ofyear exhibition showcased 14 students’ art and highlighted their creative perspectives, ideas, and in uences. While the students’ theses—ranging from incredible paintings and printmaking to thought-provoking sculptures and videos—deserve a proper in-person showing, the virtual exhibition makes it possible to enjoy their work in real time, wherever you are in the world.

BEE HAPPY

WHILE THE BUZZ of campus life faded in the spring and summer, the bees were still hard at work. Tufts Pollinator Initiative, composed of professors and students with a passion for pollination, has planted three bee-friendly gardens on the Tufts campus—featuring everything from foxglove beardtongue to purple cone ower to New England aster. According to local sources, the bees have been busy—and the gardens in bloom.

Rising junior Curry Brinson knew that he wanted to go to college away from home. Born and raised in Thomasville, Georgia, Brinson was always interested in New England schools. He relates the journey to Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson’s journey in the lm Lady Bird, which we laugh about together. It’s a favorite lm for both of us. “You know, she travels across the country, away from her family, for college,” he explains, comparing his desire for a “big college story” to McPherson’s.

Like the lm’s heroine, Brinson had plenty of expectations going into college, but he’s condent that they’ve been satised so far. “Tufts has lived up to what I thought it would be, and more.”

During high school, Brinson found Tufts thanks to his counselor and immediately knew it was right for him. “Something about it just clicked, and then I toured it, and it was just totally right.” Brinson is telling me, over the phone, his story of coming to Tufts. It’s hard not to miss the immediacy of inperson interviews, but Brinson’s personality is vibrant over the call. “I’m a pretty social person, so it’s been hard for me in quarantine,” he admits.

Like most college students, Brinson spent the remainder of his spring 2020 semester at home. “I feel super privileged and lucky to be in a home situation that I feel safe in and to have parents that are really supportive of me,” he shares. It’s interesting to talk about his journey to Tufts while he’s back where it all started, especially since

Brinson has brought much of his college experience home with him.

“It’s been a lot of talking with my friends nonstop,” he says, “because we’re all in this together and we’re in similar situations.” Those Tufts friendships help Brinson feel connected to campus even as he’s thousands of miles away. But it’s hard not to feel a pinch of longing while we talk about the Tufts community that we both miss.

“I’m a tour guide,” Brinson explains, “and a story that I tell about why I chose Tufts is all about the community that I felt here. I found out about that community while I was a high school junior, riding on the Joey.” He’s referring to the campus shuttle that takes Jumbos across various stops on campus—it’s good if you don’t want to make the (short, yet calf-wrenching) uphill jaunt from the Campus Center to your German 1 class in Olin, trust me. “I kept headphones in but didn’t play any music, and I just eavesdropped on everyone. I was fascinated by Tufts students themselves and how incredibly interested and interesting they all seemed.”

It’s a hilarious moment, but it also speaks to how quickly a prospective student can fall in love with Tufts. Brinson is full of funny stories. On his rst day of Tufts Wilderness Orientation (TWO), a pre-orientation program for rst-year students, Brinson’s father randomly (and embarrassingly, at the time) connected him with another rst-year student who he spotted wearing a backpack, yelling, “Hey! Are you doing TWO? So is my son Curry! I think you both would make great friends.”

“Now, she’s my best friend and I spent Thanksgiving with her family this past year,” Brinson laughs. Brinson’s “dream of community at Tufts” that he had built for himself in high school was practically realized on his rst day.

Now, as he ends his sophomore year via Zoom lectures, Brinson and I talk about his history and religion majors, the future (a scarier topic than usual), and his various extracurricular activities, including being a student staff member at the University Chaplaincy. “What I love most about the Religion and History Departments is [similar to] what I love about working with the University Chaplaincy,” he says. “They all foster collaborative environments.” Brinson believes that these spaces encourage him and his peers to “engage with one another as a means of working through problems or just simply building community.”

We also talk about his other campus activities, like being the survivor support executive for Action for Sexual Assault Prevention at Tufts, the tour guide diversity and recruitment co-chair, a TWO leader, and a member of ATO. “I always do a lot of fun things—things that I like,” he laughs. It’s a sentiment that brings a smile to your face; he’s genuinely happy to be a Jumbo, and ready for what’s to come. —CHRIS PANELLA ’21

RELIGION AND HISTORY MAJOR

Institute for Democracy in Higher Education Eve Abraha ’21 is working at Tisch College’s Institute for Democracy in Higher Education, a leading venue for research, resources, and advocacy on college student political learning and engagement. Her work centers on diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education, which she is exploring through relevant readings and by conducting case studies at other colleges and universities.

Somerville Community Health Agenda The Somerville Community Health Agenda is an innovative partnership between Cambridge Health Alliance, the Somerville Health Department, and the community—working collaboratively to achieve health equity among Somerville residents. Alejandro Baez ’21 works on Stigma Unstuck, a multi-event art and lm series aimed at bringing greater understanding to mental health issues.

Asian American Resource Workshop Chae Chun ’20 worked at the Asian American Resource Workshop (AARW), which strives to empower Asian American communities through grassroots and community organizing. Chae supported the AARW in the lead-up to its 40th anniversary celebration while also working on other ongoing projects, including a political education program called Sticky Rice Project. Action for Boston Community Development Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) is a nonprot human services organization that provides low-income residents in the Greater Boston area with the tools and resources needed to transition out of poverty, by systematically addressing the range of barriers they face. Elebetel Assefa ’22 is supporting ABCD in establishing a pilot project that extends access to fuel assistance funds, addressing one of the largest regulatory barriers to homelessness in Greater Boston.

Ofce of State Representative Christine Barber Nithya Badrinath ’22 is working in the Ofce of State Representative Christine Barber, who represents the 34th Middlesex District. Rep. Barber has focuses on expanding affordable housing, promoting high-quality early childhood education, improving access to health care and addiction care services, and supporting the Green Line Extension. Nithya assists Rep. Barber and her ofce in supporting legislation through policy research, writing testimony, drafting talking points, and producing communications materials. STEM CURES Julia Asfour ’21 continues her work with STEM CURES, a project that brings STEM education to Syrian refugee camps in Jordan. Julia assists with multiple aspects of the project: recruiting volunteers at Tufts and in local communities, developing a STEM curriculum for programs in the camps, and helping to equip classrooms with science education tools.

Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center Sonya Bhatia ’21 is working at the Health Promotion Center (HPC) of the Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center, which aims to provide quality health care with respect and compassion to a diverse community using the lenses of health equity and social justice. Sonya collects both qualitative and quantitative data on HPC programs and performs analyses using the tools of critical race theory, in order to create a presentation for the South Jamaica Plain Health Center at large.

Petey Greene Program Adaeze Dikko ’20 worked with the Petey Greene Program, which supplements education in jails, prisons, and detention centers by preparing volunteers to provide free, quality tutoring to support the academic achievement of incarcerated people. Adaeze was involved in tutor trainings and interviews, as well as expanding the club format for Tufts tutors. Massachusetts Voter Table The Massachusetts Voter Table advances civic access, engagement, and representation using grassroots organization to increase resources and build power among people of color, working-class communities, young people, and new citizens. Carolina Olea Lezama ’22 worked on the pilot Get Out The Count initiative, which aimed to prepare historically undercounted communities for the 2020 Census.

The Welcome Project Mathew Peña ’21 is working with The Welcome Project, an organization that builds the collective power of immigrants to participate in and shape community decisions. Specically, Mathew is supporting its Youth Aspirations Program, which is rooted in the belief that youth have the potential to be important voices and community leaders. Mathew runs the college access program, organizing workshops and seminars that will help high school seniors throughout the application process.