International
Finding Parkour in Cairo
Posted by Katherine McManus in Alumni, Blogs, International, School of Arts and Sciences, Video on May 9, 2012
Tufts alumnus Ben Gittleson, A11, has found something neat in Cairo. In the Egyptian capital, where political change has made life unpredictable, Parkour has gained popularity.
Ben, former Editor in Chief of the Tufts Daily, documented this discovery in a video and article that was recently featured on ESPN’s Page 2 website.
Cairo might seem like an unlikely place for parkour to take root. The free-spirited sport with French roots — in which athletes navigate urban environments with acrobatic techniques — does not necessarily mesh with Egyptian society’s conservative norms.
But it does provide an outlet for young Cairenes to get out their energy amid the pressures of life in the Egyptian capital. Endless traffic jams, suffocating pollution, and a dearth of public parks makes exercising difficult, and parkour is these youths’ answer to the constant stress.
Check out Ben’s video and the daring young Egyptians’ moves:
For more of Ben Gittleson’s journalistic work from Cairo, check out his website or blog.
Tufts2012.com
Posted by Kimberly Moniz in Alumni, International, School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering, Student Experience, Students, Web on May 8, 2012
Ammar Khaku, E12, wanted to find a way to visually represent where his classmates would be after graduation. When he couldn’t find a tool that did that well, he decided to build Tufts2012.com. He says, “The concept started off as a simple map with markers, but I added more features before it launched.”
He hopes that the site will be a resource for members of the class of 2012 to find other people in their area, and will create an interesting accumulation of statistics about the class. In the future, he plans to add optional information about what company people are working for or what they’re doing in the area, as well as restricting access to Tufts students and alumni. If the site takes off, he has even more plans including possible LinkedIn integration. He says, “I’m also taking feature requests, so let me know if there’s something you think would be cool!”
As for Ammar, his pin on the map is placed in Redwood City, California, where he’ll be working at Evernote next year.
Tufts School of Medicine Multicultural Show
Posted by Ashley Wood in Active Citizenship, International, School of Medicine, Social Media, Staff, Student Experience, Students, Video on April 19, 2012
Last month, the Tufts School of Medicine posted videos on YouTube of their annual Multicultural Performing Arts Show (MPAG), hosted by the university’s Office of Multicultural Affairs. The show consists of students and professors putting on performances for the rest of the student body in an effort to raise funds for college diversity scholarships for high school seniors in the Boston area. Here’s one performance from this year’s show, but make sure to visit their YouTube page for more videos.
Hoping for a BridgeAbroad to Chile
Posted by Katherine McManus in Active Citizenship, International, School of Arts and Sciences, Student Experience, Web on April 13, 2012
Searching for a job after graduation, even just for the summer can be stressful. Searching for a job abroad? That’s even more challenging.
Emily German (A12) is up to the challenge. Emily is vying for a competitive scholarship to help her get the training she needs to teach English in Chile! The scholarship competition is judged on a written submission as well as “Likes” on Facebook.
Let’s face it, though: searching for jobs abroad is a daunting task, and teaching certification courses carry pretty hefty price tags for a recent college graduate. I am determined to follow through on my dream to live and work in Latin America, however, and winning this scholarship would give me the opportunity to obtain top-quality TEFL certification and acquire the skills I need to become a professional English teacher.”
“I believe that education breaks down all barriers: it sparks inquisitiveness and fosters understanding about other people and cultures, which in turn engenders greater communication and cooperation, from the local to the international community.
So far, Emily’s submission has 269 likes. Help a Jumbo follow her dreams – vote for Emily and share on Facebook and Twitter! Voting ends on 4/15/12.
Jumbos Abroad: Madrid Edition
Posted by Ashley Wood in Blogs, International, School of Arts and Sciences, Student Experience, Students on April 3, 2012
Like many Tufts students who have chosen to go abroad for a semester, former Web Communications social media intern Veronica Richter, A11, used her blog to document her experiences in Spain. After two months of testing the local culture, Richter has compiled a list of helpful suggestions and advice for students who are considering spending a semester in a foreign country, especially the program in Madrid. From romantic expectations to culinary ones, Richter’s impressions are sure to be useful for those who are already imagining what their experience will be like.
Her first piece of advice?
HAVE NO EXPECTATIONS. At all. I expected to not have to deal with culture shock–I was wrong. I expected I would be hanging out with Spanish people 24/7–was wrong about that too.
To read more, visit her blog.
Empowering Egyptian Women Through Song
Posted by Katherine McManus in Alumni, International, Social Media, Student Experience, Web on March 13, 2012
“A cultural exchange program-meets-American-Idol” is how Laila Selim, A10, describes a project she is working on in Egypt. Collaboration between American company Share the Mic, Egyptian company Nile Promotions and the U.S. Embassy in Cairo has resulted in a program to “support Egyptian women’s right to be heard.” “Sing Egyptian Women” is a competition to find the best singer in Egypt, while giving the finalists training in leadership communication and music along the way.
The competition has narrowed to 16 singers. Visit the Facebook page for “Sing Egyption Women” to meet the contestants and vote for your favorite.
“Sing Egyptian Women” has also garnered attention from The Huffington Post and Ahram, the most widely circulated newspaper in Egypt.
EPIIC on the Web
Posted by Ashley Wood in Active Citizenship, Alumni, Community, Environment, Faculty, International, Photos, Social Media, Staff, Students on March 5, 2012
The 2011-2012 EPIIC symposium, a four day event that took place from February 22 to 26, was comprised of lectures and panels discussing various aspects of this year’s subject, “Conflict in the 21st Century,” and was put on by the Tufts Institute of Global Leadership. While tickets to the full symposium could run up to $75 a pop (the price was largely discounted for Tufts students and alums), the IGL made it possible to stay in the know no matter where you were, both during and after the symposium. You can scroll back on their twitter account to check out great EPIIC quotes or see their Flickr albums for photos of the many events and speakers.
Training Students as Leaders
Posted by Georgy Cohen in Active Citizenship, Alumni, Blogs, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, International on February 9, 2012
Eugenia Lee, A11, is a program associate with the Dignitas Project, “a non-profit organization focused on developing passionate, ethical, and results-driven school and community leaders in underserved communities around the world.” She recently wrote this blog post about a boys and girls training in Kenya’s Mathare Valley.
We often talk about children as the leaders of tomorrow but this is a powerful opportunity to start today, where it matters.
Birthright Trips to Israel
Posted by Georgy Cohen in Blogs, International, School of Arts and Sciences, Students on February 7, 2012
Two groups from Tufts Hillel traveled to Israel over winter break for Birthright trips. Check out the blogs from bus 392 and bus 153. Samantha Tye, A13, from bus 153, shared the following thoughts from her trip to Masada:
Spending the morning at the top of Masada is a perfect model of what this Birthright trip has been for me. Sure I was craving breakfast, and shivering inside my borrowed IDF jacket, but our trusty guides managed to provide an experience that was packed with fun, excitement, learning opportunities and a chance to consider our own beliefs.
Cosplay Culture
Posted by Georgy Cohen in Faculty, International, School of Arts and Sciences, Video on February 6, 2012
Professor Susan Napier, director of the Japanese program at Tufts, sat down for an interview with Cosplayer Nation.
To learn more about Prof. Napier, read this profile of her from 2007.