ATHLETICS

ATHLETICS WHAT DRIVES A COACH? Storied NESCAC championships are only part of the story of Tufts Athletics. So we asked the coaches—what denes a Tufts student-athlete?

Head Coach of Volleyball

CORA THOMPSON ’99, ’01

What is your favorite part about coaching at Tufts? Coaching here at Tufts offers me the amazing opportunity to engage daily with incredibly genuine, passionate, and hardworking student-athletes who are not only an integral part of athletics, but an integral part of our university. Our student-athletes exhibit a tireless dedication to both their academics and their sport while continuously working to give back to the greater community, which are characteristics I deeply respect. As a Tufts coach, I enjoy the awesome responsibility of identifying, recruiting, and mentoring these impressive Jumbos during their time here on the Hill. I get the chance to coach wonderful, brilliant, and dedicated young women who in turn help me honor the TUVB legacy by continuously investing in our positive culture. That fosters a cohesive and inclusive team atmosphere, helping us all build lifelong connections. I love the role I am able to play in creating and maintaining this healthy environment because it allows our players to feel comfortable taking risks while exploring their “growth zones,” and as a result real learning and change take place! As a double Jumbo and former twosport athlete myself, I am honored to support my student-athletes throughout their journey here at Tufts, ensuring that they enjoy the transformational experience I was lucky enough to have as well. What is unique about Tufts student-athletes? Our student-athletes are some of the most impressive people I have ever met. Not only are they incredibly accomplished, skilled, and passionate about playing their sport at a very high level, but they also excel academically with the same amount of devotion, resulting in some of the most admirable feats off the court! Without question, our student-athletes are competitive, pushing themselves as hard as they can to achieve academic and athletic excellence, while actively nding ways to further engage within the Tufts community. They keep the bar very high for not only themselves, but for everyone else around them, knowing that the success of a team will always outweigh the success of an individual. Our athletes understand and embrace the fact that they are part of something much bigger than themselves, and they are honored to play for and carry on the legacy of those who came before them. Off the court, it is not surprising to hear that our student-athletes’ average GPA is higher than that of the regular student body, even while they often double major, volunteer with two or three clubs, help a professor with research, and intern in the Boston area, all while planning their study abroad adventure! I admire all of our Tufts student-athletes for how much they do and how well they do it, but I will always be most proud of our young women [on the volleyball team] who consistently beat their best.

What do you love about working at Tufts? Tufts is the most student-centered and collaborative university I have experienced. I enjoy being a Tufts community member because, regardless of whether I’m interacting with Student Affairs, Admissions, Advancement, Facilities & Operations, or any other campus unit, I nd that the people at Tufts care about each other, support each other, and root for each other, both personally and professionally. The spirit of collaboration at Tufts is genuine and special, and that’s something I feel is rooted in our common goal to develop, educate, and support our students and provide them with a fun and transformative experience that will benet them well beyond their time here on campus.

What is unique about Tufts student-athletes? When I rst arrived at Tufts, I remember being so excited to learn that four varsity student-athletes were among a select group of twelve seniors who received the Senior Award to recognize their academic success, leadership, and participation in campus and community activities. After nearly ve years at Tufts, I continue to be amazed by the well-roundedness of our Jumbo student-athletes and the level at which they embrace and take advantage of the incredible array of student experience opportunities that Tufts provides.

Our student-athletes keep their primary focus on their academics, and with a 3.45 all-sport GPA and an ever-increasing number of academic honors rolling in each semester, the Jumbos truly are students rst and athletes second. At the same time, our student-athletes are able to pursue their passions and interests on campus and in the community while competing for championships at the highest level of Division III athletics. Just like the rest of our student body, the Tufts studentathletes study abroad, participate in innovative research programs with faculty, assume leadership roles in student clubs and organizations, bring awareness to important social issues, and devote countless hours to supporting local and national charities and nonprots.

It’s that sort of balance that makes our student-athletes’ achievements on the eld of play all the more impressive. And that sort of balance is not possible without our outstanding coaches, who understand and believe that athletic excellence and full immersion in the Tufts student experience are not mutually exclusive endeavors.

JOHN MORRIS

Director of Tufts Athletics

COURTNEY SHUTE

Head Coach of Women’s Lacrosse What is your favorite part about coaching at Tufts? Coaching at Tufts is a dream come true. I said that in my interview, and I believe it even more strongly today, nearly seven years later. The people at Tufts are exceptional human beings. The young women I have the privilege to recruit to this great institution and then assist in developing as lacrosse players and leaders once they are on campus are driven, disciplined, passionate, and in tune with others. They are incredibly smart and equally emotionally intelligent. The university, on a larger scale than athletics, does a fantastic job of showing the country and the world who we are, and what being a student at Tufts will mean for your four years and beyond. This is an open-minded, innovative place, just outside one of the greatest cities in the country. The types of people it attracts make life more full whether you are a student, faculty member, or staff member. I am grateful every day that Bill Gehling gave me an opportunity to be the caretaker of this storied lacrosse program, within such an inspirational university, and that I have the privilege to coach young women who have the talent and potential to impact the world in beautiful ways beyond their time in Medford. I hope I can be a small piece of their Tufts chapter who leaves a positive impact as they spread their wings. What is unique about Tufts student-athletes? Perhaps my favorite thing about Tufts student-athletes is that they are anything but “cookie cutter.” When I am on the recruiting trail, looking for our next class of Jumbos, I am not looking for anyone that ts a specic mold, because there is no such thing as a “Tufts kid.” Anyone open-minded, willing to work, and who celebrates the unique differences in others will t in here. Tufts student-athletes work incredibly hard in all that they do, both in the classroom and on the eld. They expect a lot of themselves and their teammates, and with good reason—the Tufts Athletic Department is chasing championships every year. However, the Tufts student-athlete does not get singularly focused. They embrace the journey. Because the journey—the full experience of Tufts and everything that it has to offer them as people and student-athletes—is why they came here in the rst place. In my experience, the Tufts studentathlete is also very humble—competitive to their core but in the greater good of serving their team. Tufts student-athletes do a fantastic job of taking themselves seriously and simultaneously being able to keep moments light and fun. They are just incredible. They impress me every single day, as simple as that.

FROM CLASSROOM TO CONVERSATION

The common bond between Diana Martinez, assistant professor and director of Architectural Studies, and her advisee Daniel Montoya ’21 is concrete—as in, the building material. While Professor Martinez is authoring a book on the American colonization of the Philippines through the lens of concrete (“concrete colonialism”), Daniel looks at concrete as a dening characteristic of his favorite architectural style—and perhaps a material that could pave his

path forward. —ABIGAIL MCFEE ’17

How did you meet? Diana Martinez: Daniel was in the very rst class I taught at Tufts in the spring of 2018. I’m really lucky that Daniel didn’t just throw in the towel right there, because I was still working everything out… I remember him being one of my rst students. But I really got to know him in the Boston Architecture class, which he also took with me.

Daniel Montoya: I was a mechanical engineer at rst, and it wasn’t for me. My advisor at the time was like, “Have you thought about architectural studies through Arts and Sciences?” So I took the intro course, and I absolutely loved it. I really think you, Professor, made it great—your lectures. Boston Architecture also helped me develop more. I’m really into Brutalist architecture, and both classes helped me expand that [interest]. Diana: Daniel really took to Brutalist architecture in the beginning, and as suggested by the name, it’s not the kind of architecture that a lot of people like. Actually, it’s so hated as a style that there have been massive campaigns to destroy every Brutalist building, especially in the Boston area. But Daniel, right away, liked this very difcult, very powerful architecture, and it really clued me in to the fact that he thought very differently from the other students. I enjoyed that about him and wanted to feed him as much about that style of architecture as possible. Daniel, what was your level of exposure to architecture before taking that class? Daniel: I had taken an art history class junior year of high school that touched a little bit on architecture, but not a lot. It was really when I took this class that it opened kind of another portion of my brain. One of the rst buildings we talked about in class, the Crystal Palace, started it for me. Diana: The building that really did it for me was Tadao Ando’s Church of the Light, which is also an all-concrete, almost-Brutalist building. I thought, “Oh, buildings don’t have to all look the same.” …I get so excited about space, and reproducing the same experience that I had when I rst realized what architecture was, and that’s why I wanted to teach.

Daniel: I think that was a big part. Your emotions and everything for architecture would pass off on the class. I think that’s why I liked it so much, because someone who was equally excited about it [was teaching it].

What have you noticed about Tufts students/ professors? What do they bring to the classroom environment? Diana: They have a primary motivation to learn. It’s not driven by some sort of exterior pressure. The students I really get attached to are the students who love to learn... I don’t want to say something generic about them being intelligent. For me, it’s the enthusiasm—their actual interest in the topic. That’s what I both try to cultivate and seek out in students. And I’ve found it there.

Daniel: Towards the beginning, I never went to ofce hours. But after Boston Architecture with Professor Martinez, I was pretty set on architecture and knew I wanted her to be my advisor. That’s when it started getting more casual, and I asked her more questions… You have always been supportive and also wanted more, sort of seen the potential. I really appreciate that. Something you told us is, “The work is never done.” That’s applicable to most everything in life. Diana: That makes me so happy. Daniel, how have the experiences you’ve had in the Architectural Studies program shaped your idea of a future path? Daniel: There are three branches I broke off into. I was really interested in urban design and planning, so I’m getting a minor in that now. That affected me—urban design and how to build for people. I also took some human factors engineering classes, specically about designing for human beings. And then architecture through Diana’s class. I love archi- tecture, the history of it, the concepts of building… everything is fascinating. And then landscape archi- tecture... I really don’t know where I’m going to go with all of this, but I like the idea of being able to work outside and also design. Right now, I’m work- ing with a landscape architecture rm. All three interest me equally. Diana: I do think (sorry if I’m lapsing into advisor mode!) that you don’t have to think of your interests as separate. Especially the Brutalist architecture is very landscape oriented. It’s sort of a massive space that is not designed in the same way as buildings are… That interior courtyard for the Government Services building is a landscape—it’s just so heroic. So, I feel like it’s all going to come together for you.

WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER

A Student-Led Tour Through Tufts’ Identity-Based Centers

Part Two of a Two-Part Series on the Group of Six at Tufts

By Siwaar Abouhala ’23

IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG for you to run into the Group of Six at Tufts, guratively and literally. You might stumble into some of the centers during your rst few expeditions on campus as a new student, more so guided by fate than any sense of direction. As you stroll down Professors Row, turning the corner past the Latino Center, possibly heading to the Campus Center or your residence hall, you spot the Africana Center and the FIRST Resource Center, their wood frame houses situated just a few yards from one another. Before even matriculating, you might have participated in one of their pre-orientation programs, such as Building Engagement and Access for Students at Tufts (BEAST), connected to the FIRST Resource Center, or Students’ Quest for Unity in the African Diaspora (SQUAD), connected to the Africana Center. Or you might visit a center later on—in your day, or your time at Tufts. Whoever you are and wherever you are in your journey at Tufts, the “right” way and time to get to know these centers and their welcoming members is completely up to you. Rest assured, however, that the centers will be there for you whenever you would like to join their communities.

There is great pride and gratitude in the FIRST Resource Center, Africana Center, and Latino Center—and the rest of the Group of Six, for that matter—partly due to the student activism and engagement that was required to found them. From the time of their inception until now, a tremendous amount of hard work and love, on behalf of students, staff, and faculty members, has been required to keep the centers alive and well.

Although the FIRST Resource Center was founded only recently, in September of 2018, its impact on the Tufts community is already immeasurable. Before the center was founded, there existed the Ofce of Student Success and Advising, which did the same work as the FIRST Resource Center but without a physical space completely dedicated to its staff and students. Now, the FIRST Resource Center serves as a space solely reserved for this work and gathering. Its main focus is supporting and advocating for rst-generation, low-income,

and undocumented students at Tufts. Margot Cardamone, the director of the FIRST Resource Center, makes it clear that “the nancial supports are the least of what we do. The more impactful work based on what the data has shown us is our mentorship, especially the student-to-student mentorship.” This belief is grounded in the presence of a robust Peer Leader program, as well as various professional advising seminars, such as the F1R$T Seminar and an undocumented students seminar. “You don’t have to justify your existence to us. There’s no question of whether or not you belong,” she continues. “The inside knowledge that folks can get from our seminar for an hour and fteen minutes every week on how to navigate school is so important as new challenges and experiences come up.” These seminars provide staff-to-student mentorship, but student-to-student mentorship can begin as early as pre-orientation, such as during BEAST. Rabiya Ismail ’22 explains, “We were the initial BEAST cohort, but it wasn’t obvious because everyone who organized it did such an amazing job. I

remember practically every second of BEAST, and I will for the rest of my life. I had a peer leader who inspired me to run for TCU Senate, and then I decided to focus my senate projects around marginalized communities, specically focusing on FGLI (rst-generation, low-income) students. Then, this summer, I’ll be a BEAST and FIRST peer leader and all we can hope for is to help build a community for the new FGLI students coming to Tufts.” BEAST not only helps new students learn about the resources that will be available to them on campus but also directly hear about experiences from current students, which is sometimes much more inuential than any facts or gures. Ismail’s experience during BEAST helped pave the way for the rest of her time at Tufts, which has been characterized by continued civic engagement and leadership.

As for students like Soa Lombana ’21, who helped run the rst-ever BEAST program, their hard work was fueled by a desire to meet, support, and welcome new students. “It was the most rewarding experience I have had at Tufts since it gave me the opportunity to structure a program that facilitated the transition of fty incoming rst-years from underrepresented backgrounds into Tufts. My goal of creating an empowering program was often intimidating since the needs and concerns of FGLI students can be similar yet very different,” Lombana explains. She touches on a core value of the FIRST Resource Center, which is to see students for who they are as individuals rather than making any assumptions based on their social identiers.

The work of the FIRST Resource Center is reected in afliated groups and organizations such as the Bridge to Liberal Arts Success (BLAST) program, QuestBridge Scholars, and First Generation Student Collective. “There’s no doubt in my mind that all of the students who are a part of the FIRST community can be successful on their own, but it would be a little harder to overcome any structural problems,” Cardamone claries. There is an effort to meet students where they are; it does not always occur to students right away that being rst-generation, low-income, and/or undocumented comes with many questions and challenges on campus. The FIRST Resource Center, however, is there for students whenever they need that resource. Surya Adeleye ’23 explains, “I never realized that being rst-gen was such a large part of my identity until I came to Tufts and did BEAST. At times it felt like I was going through this alone and carrying the weight of my entire family on my back. FIRST has helped me realize that I don’t have to carry that pressure with me, that there is a whole community there to help me and back me up.”

Next year, FIRST will open a residential space where some of its students can live, which is only one of a greater body of ideas implemented to connect students through common interests and passions, in addition to identities. Cardamone acknowledges that there is no one way to “look” FGLI or undocumented, which allows students to connect to one another in unexpected and organic ways. She mentions a student who spoke at one of the graduation ceremonies last year and explained that “walking through campus you’ll make eye contact with someone and you’ll remember, ‘Oh wait, you’re rst-gen! We’re in this together!’ No words

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO JUSTIFY YOUR EXISTENCE TO US.

are needed. You just have each other, and it’s this amazing network that no matter where you go, there will always be someone connected to the FIRST Center.”

This feeling of togetherness and unity is also present in the Africana Center, which was founded in 1969. Director Katrina Moore proudly reects, “We just recently, in October, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the center being on campus. Because we’ve been around for 50 years, we have a really large alumni base that is also a strong resource to help with career paths and with conversations about the roles they are playing out in the world.” The 50th anniversary of the Africana Center was much more than a celebration of the passing of time or half a century of existence; it was the culmination of years of activism that continues to confront discrimination and work towards a more inclusive community. “To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Africana Center was such a surreal moment that I will never forget. It was so important for me to see the people who are responsible for Tufts being a more hospitable place for Black students,” Mahamadou Camara ’22 remembers. “To see the rich history of the center made me proud to be at Tufts. It made me realize the center is my stabilizer on a campus where only four percent of the population is Black. This upcoming year, I will be living in the Africana Center to etch my place in its history.”

The Africana Center supports students of African descent at Tufts through an open center, a learning and living space called Capen House, a pre-orientation program called SQUAD, and myriad affiliated organizations. Hezekiah Branch ’21 reects, “I used to love the movie nights in Capen. My rst year was when Insecure by Issa Rae was really popular and there were so many people in the lounge of the Africana Center—I couldn’t even walk in because there were people on the couches, in the kitchen, on the oor!” This sense of gathering is what Branch channels in his role as a peer leader with SQUAD, which he describes as a program that runs “throughout the whole school year. We work

THERE’S NO QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT YOU BELONG.”

with students actively through one-on-ones with them and the staff. We collaborate with the other centers to host events. It’s a lot of fun!”

The Africana Center has also started a successful tutoring program that has helped provide more accessible academic resources for students. According to Kingsley Udoyi ’20, a member of the Black Students of Computer Science (BSCS) group, “I acted as a consultant and huge advocate for this group. The group was created to help support Black students and other minority groups considering or majoring in computer science.” Other programs and initiatives include Children Of Culture Of Africa (COCOA), African Student Organization (ASO), Association for Multiracial People at Tufts, Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA), Black Out, Black Womyn’s Collective (BWC), Black Men’s Group (BMG), Caribbean Student Organization, Essence, S-Factor, and The Black Student Union.

Each of these not only serves as an engaging extracurricular activity but as an inclusive, safe space for students. According to Kelechi Offor ’21, “COCOA and ASO were the rst groups I joined when I came to Tufts, and they’ve easily become the most important spaces throughout my college career. Coming from a predominately minority high school with mostly Black and Hispanic students as well as being very active with my African community at home, ASO and COCOA have been my ‘home away from home.’ They serve as a constant reminder that I’m not alone and I am deserving of a spot in this institution just as much as other students, even if the stats don’t reect that.”

This reminder of belonging, a core tenant among the Group of Six, especially holds true for the Latino Center. Founded in 1993 after ten years of discussions and debate with the university’s higher administration and the Tufts Community Union (TCU), the Latino Center offers resources, mentorship, and support for students of Latinx identities. According to Marvin Casasola, the director of the Latino Center, “I try to get as many people to come into the center as possible. I don’t care where you’re from. You can identify as Latino/Latina/ Latinx. I want you to come in and feel like you’re walking into your abuelita’s house; we’re going to give you something to eat and drink. If you feel like you’re missing something from your culture or traditions, you name it and we can get it! Whatever it is—abuelita hot chocolate or Gansito—we can get it for you because we want you to feel like you’re a part of our familia.”

His promise of familia also serves as an acronym for the values of the center: Friendship, Advocacy, Mentorship, Integrity, Leadership, Inclusivity, and Achievement. Whether through the Peer Leader program or its residential living space, La Casa Latina, the Latino Center offers welcoming spaces for students to gather and connect. Some of its afliated groups and organizations include the Association of Latin American Students (ALAS), Association of Multiracial People at Tufts (AMPT), Brazilian Student Association (BRASA), Laffer Latino Fellowship and Bible Study, Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc., Roti and Rum, Tufts Encendido, and Tufts Society of Latinx Engineers and Scientists (SOLES).

According to Carolina Olea Lezama ’22, “The Latino Center has been one of the few spaces at Tufts where I can always go to feel grounded and nd my community. Although it has gone through some transitional phases, it is now under amazing leadership, and I hope we can continue to foster and improve our sense of community so that everyone feels welcome.” This desire to expand and provide more unity for students of various Latinx identities is an important initiative for the Latino Center, which Casasola makes clear as he outlines plans and programs for the coming years.

Lezama adds, “The Latinx community is the one I feel closest to at Tufts. I am going to serve as the Latinx community senator for the second time this upcoming year. I’d say I know many members of the Latinx community and try my best to be a good advocate for my community.” Her leadership, along with the work of other passionate students afliated with the center, is crucial for future growth and expansion. She adds, “I advocate tirelessly for the Latinx Center and FIRST Center as a community senator, but also for all the six identity-based centers as I am the diversity ofcer on the Senate Executive Board. All of these centers are extremely important to the communities they represent, and I hope that through my work in the senate I can continue to uplift the communities that the G6 represents.” It is this exact effort that acknowledges the overlap of afliations and identities among different centers through civic engagement.

While many students nd community in the six identity-based centers, the work of these centers is not limited to their physical spaces. You do not have to be standing in the FIRST Resource Center, Africana Center, or Latino Center to think about issues pertaining to their communities. The advocacy and community-building that happen in these spaces resonate throughout campus. Likewise, the work of the centers is not limited to what a feature article (even in two parts) can capture. We hope you’ll think of this two-part series as a starting point, as an open door. The Group of Six invites you—all that you are—to step inside and be welcomed.

ADMISSIONS REMIX

WE ASK CURRENT STUDENTS TO TACKLE THE TUFTS SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS

SARAH WIENER ’21 PHILOSOPHY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR AND COLONIALISM STUDIES MINOR

If you’re a member of the Tufts community, you likely know who Sarah Wiener is—she serves as senate president of the Tufts Community Union, a role that puts her at the center of campus life (ttingly, she can often be found in the Campus Center, reading for class and drinking cold brew from the student café). Sarah is a member of the Ethics Bowl debate team, a Tufts Wilderness pre-orientation leader, a club water polo player, and a tour guide. In her remixed essays, she reects on being part of a community that strives to do good.

Which aspects of the Tufts undergraduate experience prompt your application? In short, “Why Tufts?”

I keep a quote book of impactful things that I hear people say. Until I got to Tufts, the book was lled with quotes from my grandmother, high school teachers, coaches, and other traditional role models. As an incoming rst-year, the Tufts community was lled with students who I wanted to grow up to be like, and who I strive to make proud every day since. My quote book is written by the support, care, and love that oods our community: “The only place you are, is here.” “We can work through anything.” “Let your emotions move through you.” “The answers to the problems we have today aren’t in the paradigms which created them.” I learn as much from my peers about who I want to be as I do in the classroom. I chose Tufts for our relentlessly caring community, and my “Why Tufts?” gets reafrmed everyday.

From recognizing break dancing as a new Olympic sport, to representation in media, to issues of accessibility in our public transit systems, what is something that you can talk about endlessly? What do you care about and why?

In philosophy, meta-ethics is the study that goes one level of abstraction beyond what is “good” and “bad,” questioning why and if there is “good.” Without question, racism is bad because it unjustly dehumanizes and punishes marginalized groups (among other reasons). Racism is institutionalized in many oppressive systems, including politics. If we want to end racism and other cycles of oppression, should we work in or outside problematic systems? Policy issues can only be changed through work within the government. On the other hand, we cannot trust institutions that privilege some at the cost of many to self-destruct. Is there good in destruc tion of bad, or is good only done through building and progressing? What if there is no line, and all of it is gray? What if there is such a thing as good and bad, but they vary person-to-person?

I have talked about the nature of meta-ethics in more than my philosophy circles at Tufts. For me, it is usually spurred by reading a frustrating news headline, or reading about an ironically racist ethicist in a philosophy class. Yet, my physics, chemical engineering, and art history peers had the same thoughts cross their mind. “How do we do good?” is a question I think myself and the Tufts community are constantly trying to answer from a million different perspectives. I can see—in the movement for fair contracts for our campus workers, student responses to COVID-19, and more—that we are making progress.