‘I Didn’t Realize This was a Career Path’

When I explain that, after graduation, I’m going into the field of student affairs at a college or university, people often ask why that is and how I got there. It clicks for people once I explain that I’ve done a lot of student support work at Tufts and have had a great network of inspiring mentors.

Going into my sophomore year, I coordinated the BEAST Pre-Orientation program centered on the first-generation college student experience. After spending the summer building the five-day program, it was a really good feeling to see it all come to fruition. At first, I thought that was the end of it. But then, after Pre-O ended, I’d walk around campus and my BEASTies would wave and smile to me, or I’d see groups of them hanging out together. Witnessing the beautiful friendships and support systems that have grown out of this program made me feel very warm inside, honestly. Even now, every time I say hi to one of them, it makes me happy.

That same sense of community is something I’ve found and contributed to in spaces like the FIRST Resource and Asian American centers, where support can look like community-building: through curating spaces of cultural affirmation and celebration. In these moments, students can find community in ways that make a large institution feel more personal and have that sense of belonging.

I’m proud that the program and events I built helped students in their transition to college. To be part of that journey is meaningful, and I value the ripple effects my efforts have had. In turn, their journeys have helped me on my own: pushing me to continue student support work in many other spaces, like TCU Senate, my research, and beyond.

Before college, I didn’t realize this was a career path. But through mentorship and spaces that invested in me, I knew I wanted to pay that forward—especially for students from historically marginalized backgrounds. It’s a little scary to enter this field right now; higher education feels precarious. But students will always need support. I hope to contribute in meaningful ways to the experiences of those who need it most.

—Alexander Vang, A26, @tuftsfirst @tuftsasianamerican @tufts_senate leader

Our Tufts is a series of personal stories shared by members of the Tufts community and featured on both Tufts Now and Instagram.