For all students and their families, graduation is an event steeped in tradition. But as some Jumbo graduates walk across the stage, they will be literally following in their relatives' footsteps.
Nearly 10 percent of the Class of 2010 has parents or other family members who also attended Tufts. For these students, finishing four years at Tufts will have additional meaning.
Graduating senior Mimi Taskier, whose father also went to Tufts, said that she is excited to graduate from the same school as her dad did.
"It's cool because it's continuing this legacy that has been really formative in our lives," she said. "My dad and I will always have something we can chat about — our alma mater."
Tufts is steeped in history for graduating senior Cameron Archibald, a fourth-generation Jumbo, and she said the legacy will make graduation day more memorable.
"I think it makes it a little bit more special knowing you have a tradition. I believe in the tradition of Tufts, as head of the Spirit Coalition. Sharing that with my family is even more meaningful because they're proud of what I've done, and it means something to them too," Archibald said.
Taskier said that she grew up hearing about Tufts from her father and his college friends.
"They are like my proverbial uncles," she said. "I spent my entire childhood hearing what Tufts was like."
Paul Taskier (LA '78), Mimi Taskier's father, said that although he wanted his daughter to come to Tufts, he didn't ever pressure her to make the decision.
"I had a terrific, incomparable experience when I went to Tufts, and I pretty much had the sense that Tufts would provide her with that same kind of experience," he said. "But parents have to be extra careful when they try to guide their kids in choosing a school. If you push it and say, ‘Don't you want to go to Tufts?' then she could very well say, ‘Under no circumstance would I ever go to Tufts,' because it's just in the heads of teenagers not to go where they're told to go."
Senior Rebecca Weinstein, whose parents both went to Tufts, said that she had that typical reaction growing up, but eventually realized that the school was right for her.
"I actually didn't want to go to Tufts for a while. When I was younger, it had sort of a negative impact. I didn't want to exactly follow in my parents' footsteps, and it was the whole teenage rebellion thing. I remember being dragged there as a kid and my mom was like, ‘That was my dorm!'" Weinstein said. "But when I started to actually look at colleges seriously, I realized I liked the programs and I loved Boston. My parents were supportive regardless of where I wanted to go."
Similarly, Paul Taskier said he wanted his daughter to draw her own conclusion about the school, but he did try to ensure that her visit to Tufts would be under the best circumstances possible.
"First, I made sure we came in June when it was most beautiful and everything was just gorgeous," he said. "The second thing was, I made sure we had a guided tour by [University Professor] Sol Gittleman. I was Sol's teaching assistant when I was in college, and we've been friends for 35 years. [He] proceeded to give us a private tour of all the places you don't go on the [regular] tour. Part of the appeal that I wanted to impart was that at Tufts you're someone a little special, you know Sol Gittleman, rather than somewhere else where you're anonymous and don't know anyone."
Apparently Paul Taskier knew his daughter well, because Mimi Taskier said that after visiting, she decided that Tufts was a good fit.
"It was really nice coming into school having an established community. I felt comfortable in the sense that I was accepted. I wasn't a random individual coming into a new community," she said.
The fact that so many legacy students have a similar feeling about Tufts to their families' speaks to the strength of the alumni community, according to Associate Director of Alumni Relations Jonathan Kaplan.
"Approximately 10 percent of every incoming class in recent years [have been] legacies, and I think 10 percent is a very strong representation. It shows that the alumni have very fond feelings about Tufts and encourage their children to apply, and that the children are actually interested in going to Tufts. That is a two-way street," he said.
The Alumni Association actively works to engage families who have passed along a love for brown and blue by planning programs throughout the year, including an annual legacy reception during freshman orientation.
"It has been going on for many years. The reception is in Ballou Hall, and the 130 new incoming freshmen and their families attend. There is music from the a capella groups, and the Dean of Admissions speaks about the incoming class," Kaplan said.
"The Alumni Association has created programs to engage alumni and engage students, and it's a way to welcome [alumni] back and welcome their children. It's very well-attended; just about everyone who is a legacy attends."
The Office of Alumni Relations also hires several students each year at the reception.
"That has been one of the most important parts of Tufts for me," Archibald said. "I work at the alumni office and I meet all these people who have generations of people who have been here. Because of my family, I started off with this connection with alumni, and I had such a good experience working there."
The Office of Alumni Relations is also the hub for keeping families involved with Tufts from generation to generation.
"Working in the alumni office, you see a lot of incredible families. For example, one former president of the Alumni Association, Ann Palmieri — she's got 15 or 16 living relatives who have graduated from Tufts, one of whom is a graduating senior this year," Kaplan said. "People have their brown-and-blue Jumbo pride, and it carries through their families. They're at every homecoming, every alumni weekend, they're on campus and involved as volunteers, and we continue to get multiple generations of people."
Archibald said that there are small things that connect her to Tufts and her family.
"My grandfather frequently sings ‘Tuftonia's Day' and he thinks it's hilarious," she said.
These types of shared moments are an important part of keeping the character of Tufts alive, according to Kaplan.
"It's all about tradition. You're at an institution that has been around almost 160 years, and the legacies carry on the traditions from one generation to the next," Kaplan said. "Tufts accepts and admits approximately 1,300 students every year … You need to have a part of those 1,300 people serve as ambassadors of the history of the university. I think of the Traditions Week that Programming Board put together with the Alumni Association leading up to Tuftonia's Day. Spring Sing, Brown and Blue Day — those things only exist because students connected back to parents and alumni that came before them. Tufts is all about the people, and the legacies carry that on."
Families also create new traditions, as in the case of the Taskiers.
"I'm actually going to bring up my graduation cap for [Mimi] to wear so we can have a little tradition between the two of us that we'll always have together. I kept it all these years; I don't know why. But now I'm very glad that I did," Paul Taskier said.
