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Good morning!We hope you all enjoyed your spring break! The end of the semester is quickly approaching, so good luck with all your upcoming exams, papers and projects. We'll send out one more newsletter in May, which will be our last newsletter for this academic year.
As always, peruse all the opportunities listed in this newsletter, and scroll to the end for a fun GIF!
- The CSD Team
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Table of Contents
1. Student Highlight
2. CSD Programs and Updates
3. Events and Flyers
4. Research, Internship, and Volunteer Opportunities
5. CSD Staff Bios
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Student Highlight: Alex Williams-Ferreira
Computer Science Major
Class of 2025
ACE++ (original cohort)
What's a recent achievement that you're proud of?
Coming into Computer Science I was incredibly intimidated by the entire thing. I knew that on top of school studying I would have to be interview studying, company studying, networking, and working on non-academic projects to get where I wanted to go. This felt incredibly heavy, especially having started my entire coding journey freshman spring and feeling like I didn’t have much to show. It was spring of sophomore year and all I felt I had was a JumboCode rejection. I was lucky and in May was able to find a summer internship through the MassCEC program. Over the summer I would work, network, and do interview prep. To take a break, for the last three weeks of the summer I took a trip with my girlfriend Airi! With some work, and a lot of luck, I was able to secure an internship at Microsoft for the coming summer that fall. Coming into school with little experience and a lot to learn, I would never have expected this opportunity! I look forward to my upcoming time in Seattle this summer and to my upcoming Senior year!
What would you tell your first-year self?
If I could go back and give my first-year self some advice I would say to find mentors quick! While this may have been relatively quick, it wasn’t until my sophomore fall that I asked an upperclassman to be my mentor for the computer science department and for professional development. That upperclassman was Jackson Parsells, who was for some reason more excited than I was at the time. He scheduled weekly meetings to sit down and run through Leetcode problems and give advice. These weekly meetings were crucial because they made time to practice discipline, prep for interviews, and have a good time while doing so. I attribute a lot of my current success to his guidance and positivity. Thanks Jackson! For those who find reaching out to upperclassman intimidating, remember that they are most often excited to help! The CS department at Tufts is challenging, but it is also super warm, and community based. Remember, running through Leetcode for a senior can be just as helpful for review!
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Want to be our Student Highlight?Nominate yourself or a fellow peer to be our Student Highlight! Write two paragraphs about the student’s accomplishment and why you think this person should be student of the month. Email your nominations to stemdiversity@tufts.edu with the subject line: Student Highlight.
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Apply to LSAMP!
Applications due April 12th by midnight
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Borrow a Textbook!
Want to check out a textbook for free? The CSD has a library full of books you can check out for the semester! You can peruse the list below, and please contact Grace Melo at grace.melo@tufts.edu with any questions. You can pick up your textbook this week or designate a specific pick-up time with Grace.
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STEM Ambassadors
The STEM Ambassadors have visited Somerville High School already this semester, and they'll be visiting Medford High School this Friday, April 5th and Josiah Quincy Upper School on Friday, April 12th. Watch their Instagram stories (@stemambassadors_tufts) each Friday to follow along with their visit!
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Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
You are invited to set up a time to meet with our Diversity Program administrators, Simone Nicholson and Kasandra Yee, and Mafalda Gueta, Associate Director of Diversity & Inclusion Programs, at the links below to discuss how they can best support you. They are open to meeting in person or virtually.
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SOE BIPOC Dinner
Thursday, April 11 | 6 - 7:30PM | Barnum 216F
The School of Engineering and CSD are hosting a SOE BIPOC dinner to foster community amongst undergraduates, graduates, faculty, and staff of SOE. The space is meant to serve as a casual mixer for individuals who self-identify as BIPOC within the School of Engineering.
Interested in attending the event or being notified of the next one? RSVP at this survey link using your Tufts email. Email kasandra.yee@tufts.edu with any questions.
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Black Girl Environmentalist: Meet & Greet
Thursday, April 11 | 7:15 - 8:30PM | REI Co-Op, Cambridge MA
Black Girl Environmentalist has a new Boston chapter! Join them for their first event, a Black Woman Environmental Professor Meet & Greet! Come meet and learn from Black Women Environmental Professors from diverse fields and build community with other Black environmentalists.
There will be free dinner and giveaways from REI. This event is centered around Black girls, women, and gender-expansive people in high school, college, and those who are professionals, but all are welcome.
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Induction to the Order of the Engineer
Registration deadline: April 16
Are you passionate about ethics in engineering? Are you looking for a leg up in the job market? Another feather in your cap? If so, join the Order of the Engineer, a national association for professional engineers dedicated to the ethical practice of engineering.
For more information, visit the website here: https://engineering.tufts.edu/news-events/news/order-engineer
For questions, please contact ooe@tufts.edu.
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Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium
April 30 | 12 - 7PM | 574 Boston Ave
The Tufts Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium is held once each academic year to celebrate the scholarship and research of Tufts undergraduate students. It includes presentations by undergraduates from all disciplines: natural sciences, social sciences, engineering, humanities, and the arts.
Any Tufts undergraduate can submit an abstract for an 8-minute oral presentation or a conference poster. Abstracts will be accepted from March 1st to April 5 through this submission link. The symposium provides a great forum to meet other undergraduate researchers, exchange interdisciplinary ideas, and to present research before Tufts faculty members and student peers, and also acts as a great way to fine-tune presentation skills (especially for thesis writers and their upcoming defense!).
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Enrich Scholars Opportunity
Interested in education or teaching? The Enrich Scholars Program is a two-year commitment where you get funding for your Masters in Education.
Find more information here: Enrich Scholars Application
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| Research, Internship, Scholarship, and Volunteer Opportunities
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All opportunities are listed in order of their deadline.
- Looking for an REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) for the summer? Check out this directory with over 150 different opportunities!
- Check out the Career Center's calendar of events this semester, including Career Fairs and Career Fair Prep!
- Check out the Tisch College newsletter for even more events, updates, and opportunities!
- Apply to become a summer leader for Girlstart, a non-profit org committed to empowering girls in STEM! You can apply here. Have questions? Email Annie from Girlstart at annie@girlstart.org.
- Apply to open positions at Boston Children's Hospital! Find more information at this flyer.
- Tufts Technology Services (TTS) is hiring! Check out information about the three positions here. Deadline to apply is THIS Friday, April 5th.
- Google is offering scholarships to attend conferences for students who come from backgrounds that have been historically excluded in tech! Find more information at this link: https://buildyourfuture.withgoogle.com/scholarships/google-conference-scholarships
- Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA) will be admitting rising sophomores and rising juniors into the Career Fellows program. All accepted LEDA Career Fellows will attend the annual LEDA Career Institute at no cost, which will take place at NYU Law in New York City from August 6 - 10th. Deadline to apply is April 22. Find more information here: https://www.tfaforms.com/5115996
- Apply to the Norson BUILDS Scholarships, which range from $4,000 to $10,000. Plus, scholarship recipients get exclusive primary access to internship opportunities and employment opportunities after graduation! Learn more information on their website, and email any questions to OFIC at scholarships@ofic.org. Application deadline is May 15.
- Check out this list of companies hiring STEM students for internships and jobs!
- Read EduMed's online guide on how minority healthcare students can excel in healthcare fields! Find more information about scholarships here and read about EduMed here.
- Check out undergraduate scholarship and research opportunities from the Chemistry department here.
- Check out updates from the Chemistry department here!
- Building Audacity is looking for volunteer drivers and food packers to help distribute groceries to over 500 food-insecure families throughout Greater Boston. To learn more email foodjustice@buildingaudacity.org and join the volunteer email list at bit.ly/BAVolunteerSignUp.
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Dr. Grace CaldaraDirector of the CSD | she/her/hers
Dr. Caldara is from upstate New York and holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine. She previously worked at Supermajority and Pantsuit Nation Foundation leading national leadership trainings, and developing diversity training for online communities. In her downtime she loves to spend time with her family and read.
As Director of the CSD, she works to support the CSD staff, all programmatic work of the center and co-teaches the RISE Seminar.
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Grace MeloAdministrative Coordinator | she/her/hers
From Malden, MA, Grace graduated Boston University with a degree in Special Education: Disability Studies. As the Administrative Coordinator for DSDI, Grace helps support the eight identity centers, but specifically shares her time with the CSD.
Outside of Tufts, Grace's enjoys making flan, sewing, and at the moment, watching Ugly Betty.
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Kasandra Yee Diversity Program Administrator | she/her/hers
Kasandra is passionate about diversity & inclusion in STEM education. Prior to her role at Tufts, she was an electrical engineer at Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, MA. At Draper, she co-founded the Asian Pacific American employee resource group (ERG) and co-led the LGBTQIA+ ERG.
She received her Master’s degree in Learning Experience Design and Technology at Northeastern University in 2023. By joining Tufts in Winter 2024, Kasandra will apply her interest in the learning sciences and experience in organizational planning to implementing diversity & inclusion best practices. Kasandra works directly with students and faculty of the Tufts Gordon Institute, Derby Entrepreneurship Center, Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering department.
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Mafalda Gueta Associate Director of Diversity & Inclusion Programs | he/him/his
Mafalda earned his BA in Liberal Arts from the University of California, Riverside followed by a Master of Education degree in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University. He is currently a candidate for a Master of Arts in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Leadership program here at Tufts.
As an Associate Director, Mafalda currently works to support Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Civil & Environmental Engineering towards building an accessible, inclusive and diverse culture within each department by partnering directly with faculty. From talking to students to learn more about their experiences in the department, to training faculty and adapting curriculum, Mafalda works to make sure students feel safe and successful while at Tufts.
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Sehba Hasan Associate Director of the CSD | she/her/hers
Sehba is an Electronics and Telecommunications Engineer, hailing from Maharashtra, India. She did her MBA in Management here in the US. Coming from a culturally rich and diverse landscape of India, Sehba has found inspiration in her background to contribute meaningfully to the DEIJ work.
In her role at the CSD, she is dedicated to supporting and championing the cause of underrepresented minorities, BIPOC communities, low-income, and first-generation students across various majors within the School of Engineering and Arts and Science. She is involved in co-teaching the RISE seminar class and oversees the management of the BEST program, among other responsibilities.
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Simone Nicholson Diversity and Inclusion Program Administrator | she/her/hers
Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Simone Nicholson completed her bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina A&T State University. Currently, she is a third year Engineering and Computing Education Doctoral Student with a minor in women and gender studies.
In her role as a DIPA, she supports students, faculty, and staff within the CS and ECE departments with diversity, equity, and inclusion related areas through programs, trainings, personalized learning needs, etc.
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Sophia Hamdan Program Administrator | she/her/hers
Originally from Leesburg, Virginia, Sophia earned her Bachelor's degree in English and Philosophy from the University of Mary Washington and her Master's degree in Higher Education Administration from Boston College. She is currently pursuing her second Master's degree in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Leadership here at Tufts.
In her role as Program Administrator, she advises the STEM Ambassadors program, supports the BEST Summer Program, serves as an academic advisor, writes the CSD's monthly newsletter, and collaborates with colleagues on and off campus to support all the incredible students at Tufts.
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