TUFTS PARENTS AND FAMILIES (TPF) NEWSLETTER | FEBRUARY 19, 2026
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Dear Parents and Families,
With many of us experiencing a cold winter, the countdown to spring is on. Although, as Jordan Gamret, A29, shares in this month's Student Spotlight: many students have been enjoying the season by sledding on Prez Lawn and attending annual events. Also featured in this edition:
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- Tufts Dining's Nutritionist Kelly Shaw highlights allergen-free dining,
- Career Corner focuses on internships and career and networking events, and
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if your student is graduating in May, I hope you'll register for the March 5 Countdown to Commencement webinar.
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For those of you who are counting the days until the first day of spring ... 29 more days to go!
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Tufts's Dining's Nutritionist Kelly Shaw Focuses on Allergen-Free Options for Jumbos |
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Photo: Students dining in Fresh at Carmichael
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Kelly Shaw joined the Tufts Dining team in 2020 as the new Manager of Nutrition and Sustainability, building on the university’s commitment to expanding allergen-free options and providing nutritious meals for all Jumbos. She’s attuned to the needs of students with celiac disease, lactose intolerance, nut allergies and other dietary diagnoses and contributes to Tufts Dining’s overall focus on providing healthy, balanced meals on campus. This includes:
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Fresh at Carmichael Dining Center – allergen-free dining
One of two main dining centers on the Medford/Somerville campus, Carmichael dining was rebranded as Fresh at Carmichael in Fall 2021 and launched its full dining experience for all students to enjoy meals that are free from gluten, peanuts, and tree nuts. - Dewick-MacPhie Dining Center – allergen-free options
Dewick offers allergy-free options through its ALL9FREE station—a dedicated area where foods are free from the top nine allergens, prepared in a separate kitchen, and plated by a dining team member (rather than self-serve) to prevent cross contamination. Dewick also houses a Gluten-Free Pantry stocked with individually wrapped, gluten free yogurts, cereal, desserts, and other to-go items. Students with food allergies may request use of the Gluten-Free Pantry, which they then access with their Tufts ID.
- Alternative Meal Plan – available with a dining accommodation
For students with a food allergy outside of the top nine allergens, or with extensive allergies, Tufts provides the Alternative Meal Plan. Students work with the StAAR Center team to request a dining accommodation to be able to pre-order custom meals tailored to their dietary requirements. The meals are prepared, packaged, and ready for students to pick up at either Carmichael or Dewick.
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According to Shaw, since the opening of Fresh at Carmichael, they’ve seen a decrease in the number of students who register with the StAAR Center for a dining accommodation; an outcome that Shaw attributes to a variety of initiatives aimed at ensuring that campus dining is accessible, inclusive, and social for all students. “We know students have a lot going on outside of dining so we want meals to be flexible and stress-free for their schedules,” she said.
Tufts also has several retail dining locations on campus that operate like restaurants. While these spaces don’t offer the same level of allergen-control as Fresh at Carmichael or Dewick’s ALL9FREE station, Tufts Dining staff are also readily available in the retail locations to answer questions and assist students.
“As a parent of a freshman in college I know from my own experience, that students can be intimidated to ask questions and don’t want to be a burden,” said Shaw. “It’s important to remind them we are here for them, and we are passionate about working with students to ensure they have food that is safe, meets their needs, and is a source of enjoyment.”
Good to know...
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- Students can reach out directly to Kelly.Shaw@tufts.edu.
- All allergen-free options work with existing meal plans.
- Allergen-free favorites include pancakes, ramen bars, and salmon mac & cheese. Yum!
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Career Corner: Internships and Events |
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Helping your student think about internships or other ways to gain experience? Visit these links to find out where Tufts students intern, learn about virtual work experiences, and secure funding for unpaid internships.
Internship Destinations: This dashboard will allow you to view our students’ internship destinations by major. As you’ll see, there’s a wide variety in where students are interning!
Virtual Work Experiences: From alumni-sponsored Jumbos4Jumbos projects to work experiences through Forage and Udemy, students have many ways to gain skills and add experiences to their resumes—anytime, and from anywhere.
Career Center Summer Internship Grants: Each summer, the Career Center funds 40-50 undergrad students doing unpaid internships for a minimum of 300 hours. Selected students receive $4,500, and they must secure their internships prior to the grant application deadline (March 16, 2026).
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Student Spotlight: A Month in the Life of a Jumbo
by Jordan Gamret, A29 |
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Photo: Students sledding on Prez Lawn
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Returning from winter break, campus life was alive and thriving the first week back. Then, two feet of snow covered campus in a single weekend! But students didn’t stay inside for long. Instead, we turned President’s Lawn into an amateur sled and ski slope. Despite the snow and cold that lingered into the following weeks, Jumbos also made it out to every campus event possible—whether attending Mary Beth Barone’s stand-up comedy show, the winter formal, or the biggest night for any school with a capella groups: the Riff-Off competition.
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At the start of February, both the weather and campus mood warmed up. Even though the Patriots lost the Super Bowl—an upset for East Coast-raised Jumbos—and Punxsutawney Phil predicted more winter, Bad Bunny’s spectacular halftime performance and the Valentine’s Day holiday kept spirits high. I’m excited to see where the rest of the semester goes, and maybe the groundhog was wrong!
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124th Tufts Night at Pops—a Commencement Weekend Tradition |
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| Friday, May 15 at 8:00 p.m.
Join President Kumar and university leadership along with alumni, graduating students, and their families to celebrate the 124th Tufts Night at Pops at Symphony Hall in Boston. Tufts’ longest running tradition, enjoy music by the renowned Boston Pops Orchestra as we both welcome the class of 2026 into the Jumbo alumni circle and celebrate Reunions!
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Purchase tickets by May 1 at go.tufts.edu/pops. Various seating options available first come, first served. Tickets for a group should be purchased together.
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Commencement Regalia Preorder Deadline: March 1
Graduating students are encouraged to preorder caps and gowns through the Tufts regalia website. Questions? Email bookstore@tufts.edu
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Class of 2026 Senior Memory Book
Senior portrait sessions are underway now and for a limited time (students need to schedule in advance). A free portrait session on campus with photographers from Legacy Studios is the only way for your student's photo to be included in the portrait section.
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Resources for Your Student
There are many resources available to help your student sort through any personal or academic challenges and make thoughtful, independent decisions.
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| Events and Opportunities for Parents and Families
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WEBINAR: Countdown to Commencement 2026—March 5 at 5:30 p.m. ET
Hear from campus partners about weekend events and logistics to help you plan for this milestone.
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Jumbo Pet Palooza—a weeklong digital campaign happening April 27–May 4
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This spring, as students prepare for finals and review boards, we’ll share photos of Tufts families’ pets to bring some joy and stress relief to campus.
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Tufts Masterclass: Big Ideas That Matter invites alumni and parents to campus for a one-week immersive learning experience. Participants choose one of two thematic tracks and engage deeply with faculty and peers. Offered multiple times each year, each session explores timely ideas shaping our world. May 18–23 session topics are Artificial Intelligence & Society and Longevity, Lifestyle & the New Age of Aging.
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Join Tufts OLLI at a Discount! For a limited time, enjoy a Tufts OLLI membership at a discount and join a vibrant community of lifelong learners aged 50 and better. Now’s the perfect time to join and gain access to register for spring courses before it ends on March 9.
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| Positive Mindset Helps Women’s Rowing Make History | Coxswain Hannah Jiang and rower Rose Tinkjian attribute the team’s recent success to a common group mentality
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Tufts Receives Most Undergraduate Applications Ever | More than 36,000 students apply for admission to the Class of 2030
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Featured Photos: A selection of student submitted photos for the Dean of Students Office's snow day photo contest |
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Photo credits (left to right): Fahim Rashid, E27; Siona Wadhawan, A26; Marley Rosen, A28
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