Amelia Miller, A23

What’s your favorite place on campus?

Pres Lawn: I love being outside as much as possible, so it’s nice to have a place on campus where I can go and feel like I’m connected to nature, even though Boston is so nearby. I love sitting out there with my friends, doing homework, and feeling calm and grounded.

What’s one thing you learned about yourself during your time at Tufts that surprised you?

I started my International Relations degree thinking I wanted to focus on security, but I realized in my junior year that I wanted to pursue a career in which I could use my empathy and interests to help make the world a better place. So I switched to human rights—in particular, international human rights law and justice, with a focus on women in rural communities.

I come from a rural community myself, and I’ve seen the differences between growing up in an environment like that and growing up in urban or suburban communities. And those differences transcend international borders—women in rural communities everywhere face a specific set of issues and challenges.

Why was Tufts right for you?

I became so much more confident here. Coming from a rural public high school, I experienced imposter syndrome at first—I felt like I didn’t fit in and worried that I wasn’t at the same academic level as everyone else. I didn’t know if I’d be able to do it.

But Tufts has been welcoming and supportive from the minute I arrived on Accepted Students Day. I realized very quickly that a community in which I was learning alongside peers who were motivated to make a difference—but also incredibly kind and collaborative—was exactly what I wanted.

What does it mean to you to be a Jumbo now?

It means being in a community of people who want to make a difference. There are a lot of people here who are interested in making the world a better place—and in learning about new things and sharing a range of perspectives. That’s part of what ultimately made it feel like a place where I belong.