The newest class and transfer students have officially matriculated, and are settling in on campus
The newest herd of Jumbos has arrived. The last few days on the Hill have seen a flurry of suitcases, boxes, sentimental farewells from parents, and plenty of orientation activities from wilderness trips to community service to fun and games.
New students gathered today in the Gantcher Center to mark their formal arrival at the university during the matriculation ceremony.
A Journey for New Students
President Sunil Kumar had some words of wisdom for the 1,946 new students at Tufts during his matriculation address.
“Starting today, you are freer than you were ever before,” Kumar said. “There are many different freedoms and nearly all of them converge on the university campus: freedom to satisfy your curiosity and explore, freedom to develop your own identity, freedom to worship or not, freedom to pursue ideas wherever they may lead without undue interference and, of course, the freedom to quench your thirst for knowledge.”
He used the Odyssey as an extended metaphor about students’ journeys, noting that while a Tufts experience won’t entail the “fantastic scrapes and adventures” of the classic text, it’s a good metaphor for students’ upcoming expedition, but without the “dire consequences.”
He compared burgeoning technology, like artificial intelligence, with the Trojan horse. “You will use technology and ideally learn to weigh its long-term consequences against short-term expediency. Blindly using AI to write your essay will let you down—just saying.”
Members of the Class of 2030 gather in the Gantcher Center for the start of the Matriculation Ceremony.
Photo: Alonso Nichols
Students will “take courses that feel difficult or alien,” and from them “learn a great deal, not just about the world but even more importantly, about yourself,” Kumar said. They’ll have to make choices, too, “none so harsh as the choice between Scylla and Charybdis, where Odysseus must choose how many of his crew he will sacrifice. Being forced to choose among bad options and making the most of it is a lesson that will serve you well.”
The Amalgamates, Tufts’ oldest all-gender a cappella group, sings during the Matriculation Ceremony. Photo: Alonso Nichols
Kumar emphasized that students’ real journey is only just beginning—and encouraged them to make the most of every day and to take risks. “Tufts is big enough that you can achieve anything, but small enough that you can try anything. To not take advantage of all the choices that Tufts offers seems shortsighted to me,” he said.
Gearing Up for the New Academic Year
At matriculation, students laughed and chatted with their new friends, decked out in Tufts blue. They’ve been spending the week moving into their dorms, attending pre-orientation programs, and getting to know the campus they’ll call home in the coming years.
Members of the Class of 2030, which saw the largest number of applicants in Tufts history, have high hopes and plans for their time at the university.
Ava Mazzella, A30, is looking forward to meeting new people, joining clubs, and taking classes. “I feel like Tufts is a very diverse community,” she said, “I’m also super pumped for community-based activities. I’m a combined SMFA degree student, so I’m excited about an intro to fibers class.”
Andrew Barton, E30, said he’s excited to join the cheese club and hopes to find “a sense of community” and to “better myself and challenge myself to meet new people, be in a new city, try different things, and explore who I can be.”
Sreegouri Vangala, A30, can’t wait to take Spanish and community health classes. “The professors here are so awesome and have so much great experience from the industry. I’m very much looking forward to learning from them.”
First-year students attend the Matriculation Ceremony for the Class of 2030. Photo: Alonso Nichols
Vangala said it feels “unreal” to be at Tufts. “I’ve met so many great, kind people from all over the world, all over the country. It feels great being in a space where I can find people like me and also very different from me.”
Flora Avanesyan, E30, is already picturing herself trying out new drinks at the student-run coffee shop The Sink, as well as joining the Armenian club.
“It’s been fun meeting a lot of new people,” Avanesyan said. “I went to a really small high school. Meeting this many people is new and exciting for me.”
Amara Nwankwo, A30, hopes to get out of her comfort zone and learn more about the African dance and step teams. “I’m excited to meet people, be social, join different clubs, and really discover community here. I’m really excited to just spread my wings.”
