Today, the class of 2006 will listen to Lance Armstrong's advice about the future. Tomorrow, they will be the future. So what does the future have in store? While the majority of the graduating class will take the subway or mom's old station wagon to work, seniors Andrew Gordon and Todd Putnam will be driving $585,000, 750 bhp (brake horsepower), 2700-pound cars.
No, Gordon and Putnam did not just win the lottery. On May 30th, the two will move to Irvine, Calif., to work for Saleen, Inc., a manufacturer of performance cars.
For Gordon, driving fast cars in southern California is nothing new. During his junior year, he became intrigued with Saleen after watching a special on television about the world's fasted cars.
"I emailed my resume to [Saleen's] sales department, they forwarded the letter to the engineering department and I had a summer internship," he said.
The company liked Gordon so much that, for the past semester, they have flown the self-proclaimed "car guy" out to Orange County about 10 times to calibrate the 550 hp Extreme Mustang.
In addition to flying cross-country, Gordon stayed in touch with Saleen by working with them for his design project through the School of Engineering with peer and friend Putnam - the two met during the Tufts Wilderness Orientation program their freshman year. The project was so successful that Putnam was also offered a job with the company.
"Honestly, my job is cool," Gordon said. "But I don't even compare to half of the Fletcher students who are saving countries or the pre-med students."
While fellow senior Stephanie Anastopoulos may not be saving the world, she is preparing to protect others. After graduation, the electrical engineer will start working for BAE Systems, an aerospace and defense company whose motto is "We protect those who protect us."
"I was hired into an engineering leadership development program where I work for the company, and they pay for me to get my masters as well as teach me leadership type stuff," Anastopoulos said. "One of the sweet things about my job is that I get every other Friday off!"
Like Gordon and Putnam, Anastopoulos found her job with relative ease, after simply "plopping down her resume" at a career fair in Cousens Gym. After a pleasant interview experience, she happily accepted the offer, which sounded like a perfect match.
"I like to challenge myself and to be different," Anastopoulos said. "There aren't many female engineers - let alone electrical engineers - so I thought this was right up my alley."
While Anastopoulos is excited about graduating and being independent, the Massachusetts native is anxious about her move to Nashua, N.H.
"My boyfriend lives in New York, so that's the toughest part," she said.
But she won't have any trouble staying warm. Anastopoulos recently got a German shepherd, Mochaccino, who she will take to Nashua when she moves into her condo on June 1.
Unlike Anastopoulos, there are some graduates who are still uncertain of their definite career. Instead of spending the summer on the beach, however, students like Samantha Hilbert are taking a more productive approach.
Last summer, while attending a cocktail party in Texas, Hilbert began chatting with the widow of Wallace Scott, a glider pilot who is nationally recognized for his noteworthy soaring achievements.
Scott was also a mentor to Hilbert's stepfather, which heightened the English major's interest in the subject. After numerous conversations, Hilbert was hired last summer by Scott's wife to write a biography of the deceased legend.
Over the past semester, Hilbert has continued writing the book through a special topics class taken with English professor Michael Ullman.
"It's been challenging to write a book during my senior year," Hilbert said.
As challenging as it may have been, Hilbert is already two-thirds done and plans to finish the biography after graduation before beginning a career in journalism.
"I'm looking forward to being able to dedicate time to finishing the book before I start writing for news," Hilbert said.
While Hilbert will be sitting at a computer and meeting with publishers, fellow senior Laura Nolan will embark on a 27-month voyage to the South Pacific.
But don't expect to see her lounging on the beach sipping Mai Tais.
Nolan will be working for the Peace Corps Health Extension in Fiji in order to learn about and work on Fiji health-related concerns such as water sanitation, HIV/AIDS, obesity and Type II diabetes.
"I will be spending three months living with a Fijian family, learning Fijian and some Hindi, the customs and traditions of the islands and specific health-related information related to my ultimate assignment and community," Nolan said. "After the three months of 'training' I'll be transferred to my assignment that I'll be working on for two years."
Nolan's study abroad experience while at Tufts encouraged her to explore opportunities to work and volunteer overseas.
"I spent my junior year abroad in Spain and became addicted to living, learning and working abroad," she said.
Many Tufts classes, such as "Women and Health," "Pediatric Psychology," "Nutrition 101," "School and Society" and "Environmental Biology," also inspired her decision.
Since Nolan plans to attend graduate school in the future and eventually work in health, she saw the Peace Corps as a perfect opportunity to get hands-on experience in her field.
"Health education is imperative in developing countries, and it's fabulous to be given the resources to act on that need," she said.
Nolan's fellow Jumbo, Lisanne Petracca, will be joining her in the South Pacific, but she is headed to an even more remote location: an outer island of the Marshall Islands.
Beginning this July, Petracca will volunteer as an English teacher for grade school-level children through Worldteach, a nonprofit organization affiliated with Harvard University.
"I'm entirely in favor of embracing opportunities like these while I'm still young, before I make any long-term commitments," Petracca said.
Though she plans to go to graduate school after the year-long program, Petracca believes that she can make an impact on the world while deciding whether to go into environmental studies or public health.
"My main goal while volunteering is for my students to improve their English," Petracca said. "Marshallese children have notoriously poor performance on English literacy exams, which is why this program was formed in the first place."
Though Petracca has never had experience with teaching, she has always been interested in environmental issues.
While at Tufts, in addition to completing three majors - psychology, environmental studies and biomedical engineering - Petracca participated in an Australian wildlife and conservation program during the summer after her freshman year and spent a semester in Tanzania, Africa, last spring studying wildlife ecology and conservation.
"My traveling really broadened my perspective and spurred me to make an impact outside of the U.S.," she said.
During her stay, Petracca will live with a Marshallese family, sans running water or electricity. Aside from being the sole English speaker on the island, her only means of communication with the main island of Majuro will be via two-way radio, so snail mail will be her only point of contact with friends and family back in the States.
Petracca, however, believes that sacrificing luxury will be worth it.
"I'd like for a higher percentage of children on my island to pass their exams," she said. "I'm not sure if this improvement will be earth-shattering, but I'll be satisfied even if I make a small difference."
