The TufTs Daily
Sunday, May 18, 2014
FeatureS
15
of 2014: Senior profiles Joshua Youner
Nicola Chang Yessenia Rivas
niCK PFoSi / THe TUFTS DailY
niCK PFoSi / THe TUFTS DailY
Though Joshua Youner was initially interested in Tufts' international relations program, as a senior, he now focuses on economics, exploring business practices both inside and outside the classroom. An economics major and entrepreneurial leadership studies (ELS) minor, Youner has also served as vice president of Alpha Epsilon Pi and has helped run Up to Us, a campaign that works to raise awareness about the federal debt on campus. One of Youner's biggest accomplishments at Tufts has been helping establish the university's chapter of 180 Degree Consulting, an international organization that pairs student teams with local nonprofits to help them achieve a greater social impact. Over the course of a semester, student teams work on financial projects throughout the community. "We had five projects this semester, and, basically, we helped nonprofits in the area improve their operations, improve their donor base, improve ... their marketing — [we do] a whole host of different things," Youner said. "We're hoping to grow next semester, [and] we'll hopefully have eight projects, as opposed to just five." Youner explained that the Tufts chapter of 180 Degrees is incredibly beneficial — not just for nonprofits, but also for students, especially those who are looking to gain consulting skills. "It [gives] students an opportunity to really get some real-world skills on the ground, as opposed to just learning about stuff in the classroom," he said. "As an ELS minor myself, I think it was really important to get some experience outside the classroom. I think the ELS minor is great, [and] they do great things, but you can only take it so far ... This [is] a very real-world thing with tangible results." 180 Degrees Consulting's mission aligns with students’ interests, especially because active citizenship is such an important concept at Tufts, Youner said. "It's the perfect mix," he said. "We're active citizens. We like to be involved and help the social causes, but it also gave us a business environment to learn more about ... the business track." While Youner's interests have shifted from international relations, he has not completely ruled out politics as a career path, and hopes to one day get involved with education public policy. However, after he graduates, Youner will continue to concentrate on economics at Deloitte — a large company better known for its tax and accounting services, which also has a growing consulting division — where he will work as a generalist in the company's management consulting branch. Youner noted that he's looking forward to the next stage of his life, both on a personal and professional level. "I'm excited because of the variety of the work [I'll be doing], since I don't really know what I want to do yet permanently [for] the rest of my career," Youner said. "[Deloitte is] a great place to really learn about what interests me and what I'm good at. And what am I looking forward to most after graduation? You know — growing up, moving on to the next stage in life, maturing. Having my own apartment; that's really exciting." Though he is optimistic about the future, Youner also said he will miss the community he is leaving behind at Tufts. "I applied [to Tufts] early decision, and when I was a junior in high school, I knew immediately when I set foot on campus ... I wanted to come here," Youner said. "I've just loved the people I've met here so far. I love my friends. [It] kind of sounds cliché, but, honestly, I think that's the best part of Tufts."
At Tufts, Nicola Chang found her niche in music. A lifelong percussionist and music enthusiast, Chang has played with a variety of groups during her time on campus, but has spent much of her time in Banging Everything At Tufts (BEATs). "I've been drumming for three years with them," Chang said. "It [is] the group that has led me to grow as a musician the most here at Tufts." Chang, a native of Hong Kong, has been drumming since she was six years old. She completed her degree in three years, with majors in economics and international relations, concentrating in economic development, as well as a minor in music. Along with BEATs, Chang has performed in the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra in New Hampshire and with Tufts' Javanese Gamelan Ensemble. She also works on the Musical Events Technical Staff. "There are definitely a lot of outlets here at Tufts to play music, and it's almost an equal playing ground, too, in terms of getting involved," she said. "It's not like a conservatory, where everybody has to be of a certain skill set. It's more like, if you're interested, you get to do it." Chang explained that her performances at Tufts have redefined her musical experiences. "It's been a refocus to entertainment, rather than playing for myself," Chang said. "When you practice and you do lessons, you're playing for yourself, mainly, but then after a certain point you start being more involved in performance groups ... [where you] start playing for other people." Chang, who grew up speaking Cantonese, also knows Mandarin. As an international student, she explained that music has served as a social facilitator for her at Tufts. "Coming in freshman year, I did International Orientation, [so] to a certain extent my social circle was very based on [the] Hong Kong Students Association [and] the Asian-American Center," Chang said. "Then, as I became more involved in music ... I knew more people from music circles." Having studied international development, Chang is interested in early musical education as a force for good. "There's a program in Venezuela that's called El Sistema, and it fundamentally gives every kid an instrument," she said. "It keeps them off the streets, it makes them go to band [practice]. Some kids really hate it, but it also increases human capital, social capital, teaches them how to work together [and how] to collaborate ... to make a final product." Inspired by El Sistema, Chang aspires to implement similar programs in her hometown. "Eventually, I want to bring this model back home to Hong Kong and also involve some of BEATs in it — have kids play percussion," she said. "You learn so much from doing music ... [like] developing people skills [and] how to work well with people." As she prepares to leave college, Chang reflected on the positive benefits of having a student community, and urged others to take advantage of this network while they still have time. "I'll really miss the fact that this is probably the last point in my life when I'm going to be surrounded by people of similar ages and similar responsibilities," she said. "If you asked me to give some advice to anybody, it would be, 'Don't lose sight of the fact that [college] is about people, too.' [I graduated] in three years ... [you] definitely [can] rush things ... [but], at the same time, you rush relationships [and] you rush interactions with people." While Chang isn't certain about her future plans, she said that music will continue to play an important role in this next chapter of her life, just as it did throughout her college career. "[I'm] hoping to change things, hoping to touch as many lives as I can through music," she said.
Yessenia Rivas — a choreographer for Spirit of Color (SoC), Torn Ticket II and Sarabande, as well as an actress and dancer — is a star both on and off the stage. In addition to the many performances she has been involved in, Rivas has also worked behind the scenes, as both the vice president of Sarabande and the department liaison for Pen, Paint and Pretzels (3Ps). Originally a clinical psychology major, Rivas switched to drama after realizing her true passion was in the arts. "I come from a really small town in Texas," Rivas said. "Drama is not really a big thing there, so they don't offer a lot of drama classes ... they're joke classes. So, for me, the closest outlet was dance, and then I ended up falling in love with that." Rivas, who has been dancing since she was two years old, has appreciated the respect that the Tufts student body has for the arts. "One of the main reasons why I chose Tufts ... is that I saw how supportive people were of the arts here, and that was really new for me because where I'm from ... sports are real big, so sports would always get all the [funding]," Rivas said. "It was really cool to come here and be like, 'Wow. I have friends that'll actually come to my dance shows,' when at home I would have to beg people to come. ... [It was great] to see how supportive the [Tufts] community is of the drama ... and the dance departments here." Within the arts community, Rivas said she has become especially close with her fellow dancers in Sarabande. "They've become such a close family to me, and they've helped me through so much," Rivas said. "That group of people is my life." During her sophomore year, Rivas shared a personal story through one of her most memorable dance performances called "Love is Louder." "When I was younger, I had an eating disorder, and things happened here at Tufts that kind of brought that feeling back — that feeling of being empty and not ... good enough," Rivas said. "I found a program online ... called 'Love is Louder' that was all about making yourself feel better ... [and] realizing love is louder than all the hate." Rivas said the program inspired her to choreograph a dance for Sarabande. In "Love is Louder," dancers encouraged each other to be strong in their personal struggles. "For me, dancing is really cathartic, and it gives me my escape and my release when I can't deal with ... other aspects of life," Rivas said. "All the dancers told me it was really nice for them to be able to finally say these things ... that they were worried about. ... We all ... realized we were in this together, and we don't have to go through these things alone." Rivas channeled a similar theme in her senior drama project titled "Nuestros Ojos," which told the stories of 11 Tufts Latinas and their experiences of being part of the minority on a predominantly white campus. "One of the overlying themes that I found was that all of us questioned whether we were Latina enough or American enough," Rivas said. "And then at the same time realizing [that] we don't have to ask that, obviously we're enough of both sides, [and] we don't have to do anything." After graduation, Rivas will be attending the three-year Master's program in the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University. After graduate school, she hopes to begin acting professionally. "I'd really love to act ... on stage, maybe get involved in some films and TV shows," Rivas said. "And one day, I'd love to start my own company and be a director."
—by Jessica Mow
—by Jake Taber
—by Jessica Mow
niCK PFoSi / THe TUFTS DailY