Dear Class of 2026,
Congrats and welcome to the Jumbo Family! I am so excited for you to join us on campus and embark on your Tufts journey. You are joining such a loving and caring community, and I hope you are reminded of that every day you are here. Over the next few weeks, you'll be welcomed by a bunch of wonderful members of our community, so I'm thrilled to be one of the first. My name is Jaden Pena, and I'm so excited to serve as your Student Body President this year.
The Student Body President oversees the Tufts Community Union Senate. As you join us at Tufts, you are now a member of the Tufts Community Union (TCU), which is composed of all Tufts undergraduates. The TCU Senate meets regularly with Tufts administrators to voice the opinions, ideas, and concerns of the student body. We are also responsible for allocating the Student Activities Fee to Tufts' 300+ student clubs and organizations. Joining any of the branches of the TCU Student Government is a great way to get involved and make lasting change in our community, so I encourage you all to run for a position!
I mentioned our 300+ student clubs and organizations, so if joining student government does not pique your interest, there's definitely something that you'll come to love! Whether it be an a cappella group like the Jackson Jills, a theatre collective like Torn Ticket II, a dance team like BlackOut, a culture group like the Black Student Union, or a pre-professional group like Project SHARE, I am confident there is an organization that you will find your sense of community in very soon.
The last thing I want to plug is our first-ever 'Bo Buddies Program! This is an initiative dedicated to pairing incoming first-years with a current student mentor in an effort to ease the transition to Tufts. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet an upperclassman who shares a similar interest as you. All you have to do is fill out this short survey, and we will be back in touch the first few weeks of school with next steps! We're super excited for this program and hope you'll take advantage of it!
If you remember anything from this email, take these words of advice: You have four years that should be some of the best years of your life ahead of you. Nobody, and nothing, is telling you what you can and can't do. Write your story how you want it to be remembered. You can never relive the memories and good times you'll share with friends these next few years, so don't let a tough class, bad grade, or unfortunate event stop you from making those memories. Live in the present and enjoy every second of it.
Words can't describe how excited I am for you all to join us at Tufts in just a few weeks. I want to be abundantly clear that, although this is just an introductory email, we are now family. If you see me on campus, come say hello! I'll be here through it all this next year, so please don't hesitate to reach out! Follow me on Instagram @jadenpena8 or connect with me on LinkedIn!
All the best in the world,
Jaden Pena
Tufts Community Union President
