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Senior Awards honor TCU prez, NCAA elite, “indefatigable vitality”

April 25, 2012

On March 30, Tufts Alumni honored twelve seniors, all outstanding in their fields, all on the cusp of the candlelight ceremony that will welcome them to the alumni fold. Watch the video to see them take a look back at their time on the Hill, and scroll down to learn more about the incredible talent that is about to enter the alumni community.

 

Check out the awards ceremony photo gallery!

 

 

Sarah Cannon, A12 Mathematics, Minor in Computer Science Atkinson, New Hampshire A starter on the field hockey team, member of Tufts Flute Ensemble, and co-president of Tufts Mathematics Society, Sarah Cannon, A12, maintained a 3.96 GPA, one of the highest among math majors. “Sarah is one of the most academically promising students I have taught in my 34 years at Tufts,” says Professor Todd Quinto. Cannon was awarded the NCAA “Elite 88” award, presented for academic excellence to only 88 student-athletes in the nation; the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship; the Astronaut Scholarship; and was chosen as one of three undergraduates in the U.S. to receive the 2012 Computing Research Association Outstanding Researcher Award. Cannon’s hard work and accomplishments at Tufts have earned her early admission with a large scholarship to the Princeton mathematics Ph.D. program.

 

Sasha deBeassett, A12 Anthropology, Minor in Entrepreneurial Leadership Guatemala City, Guatemala When a flash flood hit hard near her hometown in Guatemala, Sasha deBeausset, A12, organized an emergency drive, collecting 250 pounds of food, clothing, and cleaning supplies over a four-day period to take to a distribution center in the community. At Tufts, deBeausset has combined sociocultural and biological anthropology in order to address issues of malnutrition and undernutrition in Latin America. Studying major organizations that have a role in determining and combating these problems, deBeausset has done substantial research in Guatemala, even taking lessons in K'iche over Skype to better understand the indigenous language of the people with whom she was working. She has also served as a co-coordinator of the Institute for Global Leadership's BUILD program for sustainable development, an undergraduate coordinator for the Empower Fund for Social Entrepreneurship, and a Tisch Scholar working with Somerville’s The Welcome Project, among others.

 

Meredith Dworkin, A12 American Studies San Francisco, California Meredith Dworkin, A12, has dedicated the last three years to helping to combat domestic poverty with LIFT, an organization that seeks to alleviate poverty and expand opportunity for all people in the United States. As co-chair of the Tufts University Spirit Coalition and the Tufts Programming Board, she leads 10 student organizations and 30 student leader peers to produce many of the major campus programs. Also an outstanding student, she’s received Dean’s List honors every semester, was part of the Tufts Emerging Leaders Conference in 2009 and 2010, and was given the Tufts Spanish Award in 2010.

 

Tomas Garcia, A12 Quantitative Economics and International Relations Portland, Oregon Tomas Garcia’s, A12, hard work in student government culminated in his position as TCU president, where he has presided over the TCU executive board and over weekly meetings of the TCU Senate for the past year. He has represented the interests of the student body across the campus to faculty, President Monaco, and the Board of Trustees. Throughout Tufts, he has maintained an excellent academic record and served as co-president of Tufts Mock Trial team.

 

Leo Greenberg, A12 Political Science and Anthropology Stamford, Connecticut As president of Theta Chi, Leo Greenberg, A12, has successfully strengthened the relationship between the Medford and Somerville communities and his fraternity, meeting regularly with members of the Greek system, Tufts administration, and community representatives to address the concerns each constituency has had to work toward mutually agreeable outcomes. He has also maintained an outstanding GPA while assuming significant leadership positions, such as junior class council president, co-chair of the Programming Board, and treasurer and president of Theta Chi. As an office assistant in the Office for Campus Life, he was honored as Office Assistant of the Year in 2009–2010. In his role as coordinator for academic programming in the Office of Undergraduate Orientation, he developed orientation programming and resources to help 1,400 incoming students navigate their first few days at Tufts.

 

Kristen Johnson, A12 International Relations, Minor in Africa in the New World Baltimore, Maryland As project co-manager of the West Medford History Project, Kristen Johnson, A12, self-published a book of community oral histories titled A Legacy Remembered: The African American Community of West Medford. Since first stepping onto campus, Johnson has taken initiatives like this and distinguished herself as the quintessential role model for academic excellence, extraordinary leadership, and selfless commitment to helping others. A Tisch Scholar, president of the Pan African Alliance, peer leader for the Africana Center, and student leader for the Black Student Board, her commitment to her community has been widely recognized. She has received the 2011 Africana Center Award for Student Community Activism, the 2011 International Relations Program Anne E. Borghesani Memorial Prize, and the 2011 Tufts Energy Conference Award. During her semester in Ghana, Johnson secured an internship with Innovations for Poverty Action. Bringing that experience back to Tufts she developed a project with Alternatives for Community and Environment and served as project manager for the Wind Turbines in Zimbabwe Project.

 

Julie Kalt, A12 International Relations, Minor in Religion Newtown, Connecticut From vice presidency of cultural programming to serving on the executive board, Julie Kalt’s, A12, many roles and leadership positions at Tufts Hillel have made a lasting impact on service at Tufts. As the student director of Repair the World, Kalt helped increase the number of Tufts students performing direct, sustainable community service by 50 percent. She has also taught a university-level course on social justice; was the founder and co-president of the Tufts chapter of the Roosevelt Institute, a national student policy organization; and was a peer mentor and teacher to low-income, minority elementary school girls in the Strong Women, Strong Girls program. Her internship at the White House Project, an organization that provides leadership training for women who want to advance their careers in areas such as politics and business, as well as her internship with State Senator Patricia Jehlen, make it clear that Kalt is truly acting upon her goal to bring the best practices from both the public and private sectors to bear as an organizational leader and social change educator.”

 

Jordan King, A12 Music Washington, D.C. Throughout his musical career at Tufts, Jordan King, A12, has illustrated the inimitable power of music to embrace and unite people of different backgrounds, traditions, and cultures. Described by Professor Janet Schmalfeldt as “among the most remarkable majors the department has known,” a dedicated musician with “indefatigable vitality,” King has been seen on the Tufts stage as Sam in Our Town (2008), Tamino in Die Zauberflöte (2009), Street Singer and Tiger Brown in The Threepenny Opera (2011)—and the roles don’t stop there. Along with a strong GPA and Dean’s List record, King’s résumé in the Department of Music includes administrative assistant; ensemble manager for Chamber Singers; stage manager for Opera Ensemble and Concert Choir; music event staff; and manager, vice president, and, later, president of University Chorale. He also upholds the importance of service and mentoring as a counselor at the Tufts Community Music Summer Camp, as well as engaging with older audiences by performing in nursing homes to uplift and support the elderly.

 

Audrey Kuan, A12 Computer Science and Biology Los Altos, California Audrey Kuan, A12, is the quintessential Tufts athlete, excelling in academics and athletics with equal displays of determination, leadership, and commitment—not to mention a contagiously positive attitude. In addition to maintaining a high GPA and a demanding schedule that includes publicity director for the Leonard Carmichael Society, online editor for the Tufts Daily, and English tutor in Chinatown, Kuan was elected as one of the varsity Volleyball team captains in 2011 and helped Tufts Women’s Volleyball become New England’s number one ranking team three years running. In 2011 she was named the New England Women’s Volleyball Association’s All New England All Star Senior, was an All Conference NESCAC Academic Team member for two years, and was chosen for the First Team All New England Region.

 

Scott McArthur, E12 Chemical and Biological Engineering Denver, Colorado Director of the Experimental College, Robyn Gittleman, says that Scott McArthur, E12, is not afraid to challenge himself and has often stepped beyond normal university expectations to better the lives of other people. This is evident in his role as chapter president of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), where he led the first Tufts EWB trip to Mbale, Uganda, and designed a clean-water storage system. His research and implementation work also include energy-saving and storage batteries that have biomedical applications. McArthur was selected as an Exploration Peer Teacher, a rarity for an engineering student, in addition to being an orientation leader and mentor, and a Tisch Summer Fellow. On the track, McArthur served as captain of the Tufts Cross Country and Track & Field teams for fall 2011 and spring 2012; in addition, he was named a NESCAC All-Sportsmanship Athlete.

 

Sam Sager, A12 Economics, Minor in Entrepreneurial Leadership Cranston, Rhode Island Three years ago the varsity baseball team “adopted” Adrian Misic, a young boy with brain cancer, taking him on as their littlest teammate as part of the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. Sam Sager, A12, helped make Adrian an honorary member of the team, welcomed him to the field, visited him in the hospital and in his home in Malden, and kept in touch with his parents after he passed away. A scholar—he’s made the Dean’s List every semester—athlete, and leader, Sager has played an invaluable position on the baseball team—especially in his roles as captain in his junior and senior years, and as Adrian’s friend. He also continues to work on community-service projects and fundraisers that will benefit the Adrian Misic Prize that was established at Tufts in his memory. In 2010, he was selected First Team All-NESCAC and Third Team All-New England Third Baseman.

 

Alex Stein, A12 English, Minor in Communications & Media Studies Upper Montclair, New Jersey Alex Stein’s, A12, initiative, creativity, and critical thinking have allowed him to cross borders among a variety of student groups to develop community philanthropic initiatives. Elected by the fraternity Delta Tau Delta as the first vice president of the chapter, Stein was also recognized that same year by his fraternity, receiving the Excellence in Outstanding Philanthropy and Exceeding Recruitment Goals awards. He has also been the president of the Inter-Fraternity Council, working to make the Tufts fraternity system a welcoming one to LGBT students. His work with Health Services has led to a new risk management strategy for fraternities, and his work with Tisch College and University Advancement led to a “Philanthropy Summit,” encouraging students to become more involved members of their communities. During his time at Tufts, Stein has been a co-executive orientation leader, a student ambassador for University Advancement, director of alumni relations for the Leonard Carmichael Society, and co-business manager of the Social Justice Arts Initiative.