Dear Class of 2025,
As you walk across the stage and receive your diploma, remember that this is your Commencement — a beginning. It is the start of your life as a Tufts graduate! When you graduate, you automatically become a member of the Tufts University Alumni Association, an over 130,000-person network of Jumbo alumni that I am proud to lead as president.
Alumni are involved in a wide range of Tufts activities including: interviewing prospective students, organizing events to bring together alumni, helping students and peers navigate their career paths, participating in extracurricular alumni events (such as those for alumni of the Tufts Community Union Senate, the Daily, Tufts’ various a capella groups, sports teams and so on) and taking leadership positions, in any of the alumni programs, from which they can support the alumni association and the university.
So, after you have taken some time to celebrate graduation and as you settle into the next stage of your life, here are some ways you should consider engaging with the Tufts community:
Help recruit the next generation of Jumbos. The Tufts Alumni Network is an easy way to stay connected. Over 30,000 students apply to Tufts each year, and an alumni interview helps Tufts see a candidate in a more personal way. It can also help the applicant understand why Tufts is the right place for them. Young alumni are wonderful interviewers as they are up to date with all things Tufts.
“Every year I meet talented young people applying to Tufts,” David Meyers (A’96) wrote in an email. “We talk about how their experiences may have prepared them for Tufts, and how Tufts can help them pursue their dreams. It’s an incredibly rewarding way to stay connected to Tufts and connect with future Jumbos.”
Use the Tufts Career Network and Alumni Career Service. Summer is the perfect time to connect with your Jumbo career network. The Herd brings together alumni and students for career conversations, networking, mentoring, job shadowing and other professional development activities. Meet and network with fellow alumni working in your current or desired field. You can also connect with a variety of professional networks and identity-based communities.
TUAA offers up to $1,500 for a wide range of career-enhancing activities such as conferences, professional memberships, licensures, certifications, graduate school application fees, artist residencies, film screenings and independent projects. You propose it and the Alumni Association might just fund it! There are special grants given to young alumni (those within 10 years of graduation). The application for 2026 opens in December.
“The Tufts Alumni Professional Development Fund gave me a ‘boost’ when I was ready to take the next step in my career a few years back. The fund is an important way that Tufts continues to support alumni after graduation,” Caitlin Quinn (A’11) wrote. “Now, as an application reader for the Professional Development Fund, I enjoy learning about the varied interests among Tufts graduates and how they are innovating in the world and chasing their passions!”
All alumni have access to free, lifelong career services including career advising, webinars, networking events, career fairs, job listings and more. And make sure you join the Tufts career networking group on LinkedIn.
Network, have fun and meet Jumbos of all ages, professions and schools. As a new graduate you are now a member of BOLD — ’Bos of the Last Decade. BOLD is committed to connecting alumni who have graduated in the last 10 years through social events, volunteering and philanthropy.
For Jumbos of any age, we have numerous regional chapters across the United States and around the world. They organize a variety of social events for alumni in their area. These chapters are a great way to meet fellow alumni of all ages and careers, to network, learn and have fun.
“I have been a leader of the London Alumni Network for 20 years,” wrote Vikki Garth (J’81). “We have had lectures, panel discussions, cultural dinners, happy hours, networking, art, sports and theater events. They are fun, interesting and you network with alumni from all schools, professions and graduation years. It’s a great way to get to know your Tufts community!”
Shared-interest groups are another great way to connect with Jumbos. These chapters bring together alumni with shared professional interests and other affinities. Examples include the Tufts Lawyers Association, Tufts Women’s Network, Tufts Black Alumni Association and Pride on the Hill.
“Being involved with [Tufts Women’s Network] NYC positively impacted my career and personal life in ways I never could have imagined when I graduated. Meeting alumnae from a wide range of classes and industries made networking enjoyable, interesting, and educational,” Maria Maccarone (J’90) wrote. “Never underestimate the power of the Jumbo connection at any point in your career!”
I’m already excited for your opportunity to reconnect with classmates for reunions in 2026, 2030, 2035 and every five years after. These weekends are a wonderful opportunity to reunite with classmates, relive Tufts memories, rediscover the campus, reignite your passion for learning and reengage with one another. If you would like to volunteer to help plan your reunion, contact Alice Shah in the Office of Alumni Engagement.
“Joining a reunion committee is one of the easiest and most rewarding ways to start volunteering! You get to work alongside your class committee and the Tufts Office of Alumni Engagement to contact and bring back fellow classmates, bring back classmates to campus, plan fun reunion parties and activities, and drive class fundraising challenges,” Jen Faucon, (J’90) wrote.
Many sports teams, the TCU Senate, singing groups and other student organizations have alumni groups. They are a great way to continue engaging with the activities you enjoyed at Tufts. To learn more about these opportunities, contact Miriam McLean in the Office of Alumni Engagement.
“Staying involved with Tufts through the Friends of Tufts Swimming & Diving has been one of the most rewarding parts of being an alum,” Chris Valente (A’05) wrote. It’s a way to give back to the program that shaped my experience at Tufts, and to help current and future Jumbos have the same opportunities. Whether it’s through events, mentoring, or supporting student-athletes, there are so many ways to stay involved.”
Be an alumni leader. It’s never too early to step up and help shape alumni engagement. You could take a leadership role in any of the alumni chapters I’ve already mentioned or even run for the Tufts Alumni Council, the governing body of TUAA, where you can serve on committees supporting activities of alumni around the world in partnership with the Office of Alumni Engagement.
As president of the Tufts University Alumni Association, I get to meet and connect with alumni across the world. I am energized by the passion and ideas I hear and the commitment I see from alumni every day. I believe that our success as a community hinges on how connected we are. Alumni engagement is not just beneficial, it is essential. It leads to student and alumni success.
Your fellow alumni are talented, engaged, interesting, fun and always happy to help — so don’t leave Tufts behind, stay involved!
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Amador, president of the Tufts University Alumni Association
