Posts Tagged blog
Tufts in Rwanda: 2012 Edition
Posted by Veronica Richter in Active Citizenship, Blogs, International, Students on July 16, 2012
Two years ago, we showed you how students on Tufts Hillel’s service trip to Rwanda learned and grew abroad. This year, Tufts Hillel continues their legacy of helping the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village with a new batch of students eager to repair the world. On their own branch of the Tufts Hillel blog, we find the stories of Hannah, Sam, Paige, Nate, Natasha, Arlen, Jessica, Ariana, Katie, Shane, Laura, and Tayo as they embark on their interfaith service trip:
“We all chose to come to Rwanda for different reasons and had different expectations, but we were all excited to be going. Some wanted to see a new country, while some wanted to see a new continent. Others wanted to experience a new culture. I think all of us wanted to learn about what had happened in 1994, and many also wanted the trip to help guide them to their future career choices.I will never forget the moment we stepped off the plane. I’m (Tayo) from Ghana, and when I go home I’m used to being hit with the hot air and the smell that can only mean that I’m finally in the place I love the most. But here I was, in Rwanda, a place I’d never been to, feeling sensations that were almost the same! I (Laura) was entirely unsure of what to expect as I had never been to Africa before. However, we both felt that after feeling the hot air and seeing the bright lights of Kigali—the endless hours of travel had all been worth it. We went through immigration and, after dealing with some luggage issues, hopped on the bus to Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. The bus ride was surreal. Although it was night time and everybody was exhausted, we were all so excited to be in the country that we had read and watched so much about.”
The trip is part of Hillel’s Alternative Summer Break program. For more journeys to Rwanda, check out the Tufts in Rwanda student groups from 2011 and 2010.
For Your Entrepreneurial Needs
Posted by Veronica Richter in Alumni, Blogs, Community, Social Media, Student Experience, Students on July 13, 2012
If you’re ever in need of a fun entrepreneurial perspective with a Jumbo spin or an alumni role model, look no further: Tufts Entrepreneurs Society has just launched their first blog! The blog delivers a mix of information from articles to media from their meetings and activities. In their latest post, they honor the Tufts band Timeflies, while comparing the band to a start-up:
Music has always been an entrepreneurial experience. Musicians start with nothing, no sound, no template and create elaborate tones and melodies. Many bands and groups have come from Tufts but one of the latest we’d like to feature, on Startup Beats, is Timeflies. At Tufts Cal Shapiro and Rob Resnick started a group called Timeflies. Before and while at Tufts both Cal and Rob (Rez) worked with many bands and technology making music. Rob was Music and Philosophy major and Cal a Music major with a minor in Entrepreneurship. In addition to talent, bootstrapping and a unique branding tool lead to viral adoption of Timeflies.
You can also find Tufts Entrepreneurs Society on Twitter and Facebook.
Healthy Jumbos
Posted by Veronica Richter in Blogs, Student Experience, Students on October 28, 2011
Though stereotypes of college students’ eating habits abound, Jumbos are generally known to live a healthy lifestyle, whether living in dorms or off-campus housing. These healthy tendencies are reflected in the many student-run organizations and their blogs.
Tufts Culinary Society is one of these groups. They recently wrote a very informative blog post on how to eat delicious, healthy meals on a college budget. Their suggestions included taking advantage of stores owned by Indian families, local produce and vegetables, and of course, the dining halls:
…sometimes one may feel inclined to use their meal plan to foster the creation of a home-cooked dinner, and Dewick and Carmichael are both rich with great ingredients. For example, the salad bar is full of vegetables that, in addition to adding interesting character to a salad when raw, can also be incorporated into an excellent stir-fry, stew, or pasta dish. Items that may merit particular attention are raw broccoli and cauliflower, sliced bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, and tofu. Get creative with your menu ideas—there are a lot of potential ingredients in the dining halls, from vegetables to peanut butter to chocolate chips on Sundae Sundays. Above all, be moderate and discreet when gathering your ingredients.
Another group urging students to make use of local product is Tufts Sustainability Collective. In addition to strengthening the environmental community on campus, TSC built a garden on campus and recently taught students how to plant herbs for the winter in recycled containers. If you didn’t get a chance to check learn their skills and are lacking in the fresh veggies department, have no fear, Balance Your Life, a student group committed to healthy lifestyles, has got you covered! In their blog, they detail the benefits of frozen veggies and even teach us the easiest way to cook them.
A Life-Changing Visit
Posted by Veronica Richter in Blogs, International, Student Experience, Students, The Fletcher School on October 24, 2011
Fletcher School masters candidate Kristen Wallerstedt recently visited India and left with “a new perspective on life, society, history, and humanity.” As a student of international economics and politics, her first time in South Asia was life changing. She wrote a note about her experiences which was featured in the blog “Critical Twenties,” a blog ran by twenty-something Indians who wish to create a forum for discussions about India and its place in the world. In it, she contrasts India with the Western world and discusses culture, politics, the economy, the media, social movements, and the general life lessons she learned on her trip:
Sadh, one of the many Indian gurus, says that in your life, if you don’t do what you can’t do, there is no problem but if you don’t do what you can do, that is a tragedy. Spiritual leadership is prominent here; even the most modern and logical have a guru that they follow. From India, for now, what I learn that I can do is to place a higher value on spirituality, tradition and history, and to continue to develop intellectually and find peace amidst the craziness of the world. India made me realize that in contrast to the pressures I feel in America, for now, I don’t want to seek to have an impact on the world, as we are often urged in our American education. Instead, I have realized that I still need the world to have an impact on me.
Be sure to check out the rest of Kristen’s musings here.
Meet the Interns
Posted by Veronica Richter in Blogs, Social Media, Staff, Student Experience, Students, The Fletcher School, Video on October 18, 2011
The Fletcher School and Tufts’s own LGBT Center have Jumbo love for their interns this fall!
In a series of blog posts, Fletcher School admissions highlights their three interns and welcomes them to the office. One of their Interns, Katie, is a Lebanese Egyptian from Cairo interested in Human Security and NGO & Public Management. She’s extremely excited to be here and said,
Despite being far from Egypt, I felt at home at Fletcher right away. Between the exciting stories my fellow Fletcherians tell, and the numerous courses to choose from, I feel like a kid in a candy shop!
The LGBT Center chose to show their love through a video introducing seven undergraduate and graduate interns as well as two graduate staff assistants and the center director, Tom Bourdon. In the video, the entire staff return the love to their home away from home:
Video filmed, edited, and produced by George Murphy, A14.
FreethoughtCasts
Posted by Veronica Richter in Blogs, Social Media, Student Experience, Students on October 7, 2011
Tufts Freethought Society recently released a podcast series led by the group’s executive board members. Their first podcast, led by Walker Bristol, A14, and Lauren Rose, A13, covers everything from The Ignoble Prizes to the male hormonal cycle (yes it exists–it’s just a yearly cycle). They seek to discuss contemporary topics based on science, logic, and reason free from superstition, dogma, or belief in the supernatural:
Were you just thinking, “Boy, I wish somebody would develop a podcast that discusses issues related to atheism, religion, skepticism, science, politics, sex, and freethought, perhaps specifically catered to students and Boston area affairs?” If so, then get excited! Tufts Freethought Society has a podcast!
If this sounds like you, check out their blog for their first two podcasts or find them on Youtube for their videos from The Humanist Forum, reflections, and more. For more on Tufts Freethought Society check them out on Twitter and Facebook.
Engineers Without Borders in Uganda Complete 2nd Part of Clean Water Access Project
Posted by Veronica Richter in Active Citizenship, International, School of Engineering, Students, Video on October 4, 2011
In 2010, Tufts Engineers Without Borders went to Uganda and worked with the Foundation for Development of Needy Communities to bring clean water to the Shilongo Village. They analyzed the soil profile, measured flow rates of the streams, took water samples and tested them, conducted health surveys, and assessed the available local materials in the area. After meeting with community leaders, they decided to build a contraption to store clean water, a necessity for the village. A year later, EWB went back to the Shilongo Village and built a water tank for the community. Here’s a video of what they accomplished:
For a written narration of their adventures, check out their travel blog. To get involved with Tufts EWB, find them on Facebook and Twitter.
Diving into the Diversity Visa Lottery
Posted by Veronica Richter in Blogs, International, Research, School of Arts and Sciences, Student Experience, Students on September 29, 2011
For many Tufts students, senior year means one thing: the senior thesis. After a year or more of research into a specific topic of intellectual interest, graduating seniors leave academia with a wealth of knowledge and research skills under their belts. For Tufts IR students, the knowledge they take from their studies goes hand-in-hand with our principles of active citizenship and global awareness. Last year, students dove into topics ranging from resurgent China to cyber deterrence. Michael Kremer, A11, chose to tackle the issue of immigration, specifically, the Diversity Visa. In his abstract, he includes,
Every year, 50,000 immigrants obtain Legal Permanent Residency (LPR) in the United States through a program called the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery. [...] In Congress, the debate over the program has revolved primarily around the assumption that the lottery encourages increased diversity in the U.S. immigration system at the cost of attracting primarily low-skilled immigrants. The data show, however, that this perceived tradeoff does not actually exist.
The rest of Michael’s abstract as well as his entire thesis can be found on the Tufts IR Department blog, along with other student theses and IR event highlights. For more information on the IR Department, check them out on Facebook and Twitter. If you’re part of the IR program and hoping to get more involved, then be sure to join their LinkedIn group.
Music Junkies Rejoice!
Posted by Veronica Richter in Blogs, Student Experience, Students on September 29, 2011
Tufts’s own freeform radio station’s blog is back for the semester! The folks who brought us The Awkward Freshman Playlist are continuing their tradition of enthusiasm, musical expertise, personality, and sass covering everything from music video picks to album reviews and breaking music news. Recently, WMFO staffer Maxine Builder, A13, chose “We Don’t Need Nothin’” by All Out as her Music Video Pick. All Out is a band founded by Tufts alum Matt McCormick, A10, known as the “unofficial face of the Beelzebubs” after their stint on NBC’s The Sing Off. In her post, Maxine gives the band an unorthodox Jumbo love shout-out,
… quite shockingly, All Out is actually somewhat popular with the broader, non-Tufts community. They’ve even been signed to a label, and their songs can be found on iTunes. [...] A lot of the elements [in the video] just scream “cheesy” like McCormick’s fake hipster glasses and the text that pops up on screen in case you wanted to sing along or forgot the name of the band. It’s not exactly an intellectually challenging three and a half minutes, but it’s made by a Tufts alum. So show him and the video some love, after the break.
For more musical insights and spunk, check out WMFO on Twitter and Facebook.
Tufts Hillel Repairs the World
Posted by Georgy Cohen in Active Citizenship, Blogs, School of Arts and Sciences, Student Experience, Students on November 18, 2010
Tufts Hillel has formed a new partnership with Repair the World, “an organization committed to inspiring American Jews and their communities to give their time and effort to serve those in need.” As part of the partnership, a new blog will feature “regular and guest contributors reflecting on issues of social justice, community service and engagement from a Jewish perspective.”
In a recent post, junior Daphne Amir reflected on her trip to the the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda this summer.
It was invaluable to learn about Rwanda’s dark history and then be able to meet the inspirational, young survivors who will carry their country forward. The trip has taught me many precious lessons, among which is my connection and compassion to people across borders.