While many students arrive on the Hill and are inspired by Tufts' global vibe, it was senior Shawna Russo's political upbringing that drew her to the realm of International Relations long before she became a Jumbo.
For Russo, the activist and global citizenship blood runs deep: Her father, who worked to organize the anti-war movement in the 1960's, now works as an immigration lawyer.
Russo's mother, who moved to the United States from India in 1973 after winning scholarships to complete her medical residency, now treats patients as an anesthesiologist and OB/GYN. Her twin, a senior at Brown University, is an International Relations major with plans to continue in the field in law school.
"I remember when we were seven, my sister looked at George Stephanopoulos, a political commentator on ABC, and said, ‘I want to be that,'" Russo said. "We were always raised with a very global perspective. And even though we're from Albuquerque … I think our parents did a really good job."
The hardships that Russo's mother faced in getting to America — including a struggle against the racism present in hospitals — have provided further motivation for her involvement in activist endeavors and international politics.
But while her attraction to International Relations was established at a very early age, it was an American tragedy that gave her a specific aim: counterterrorism, both in and outside of the United States.
"[When 9/11 happened], I saw up close and personal what terrorism was and the effect it had on a nation of people — but by no means does my counterterrorism interest revolve solely around America; it couldn't," Russo said.
As a freshman, Russo took a College Admissions Program (CAP) course that focused on child soldiers and led her further into the field of counterterrorism.
And now with less than two semesters left before graduation, Russo has a grip on her future that is uncommon among college seniors.
"Counterterrorism, in and of itself, is very specific; it's a specific field of security studies, which is a very specific subfield of International Relations, which, in turn, is a specific subfield of political science," Russo said. "I'm not solely interested in counterterrorism. Counterterrorism is a very early academic love of mine, but people who do security studies are also really interested in conflict [and] military doctrine."
Once she completes her plans of further study at graduate school, Russo aspires to work for the State Department or for a think tank with the ultimate goal of protecting the citizens of her country.
"Essentially, my main goal in life is to try to figure out how to serve my country and protect it from threats. I'm not taking the conventional military route, but I'm going at it from another perspective," she said.
Some of the most valuable things Russo has gained from Tufts are the words of others.
"The conversations that I've had — the 3:00 a.m. conversations during finals with my friends from Poland, Indonesia, India — are conversations that I'm not going to forget," Russo said. "Books will always be there, but I feel like I would not have had those types of conversations if I had not come to a school like Tufts."
