To our newest readers,
I’m probably not the first to welcome you to campus; that was the responsibility of your pre-orientation leader, or your FYA or whoever wrote your acceptance letter when it made its way into your mailbox. But I hope that does not make this welcome seem any less genuine. I am glad that you are here. You are, at least for this moment, exactly where you are supposed to be.
Your first year at Tufts might be the greatest year of your life thus far. It might be full of new friends and new experiences, community that you’ve always longed for, academics that spark your interests and extracurriculars that provide exciting challenges for you. It might also be messy, full of rejection and loneliness and confusion and change. It will likely be both (it was for me).
So here’s my encouragement for the next four years: Don’t be afraid to use your voice. Every day, I am lucky to be surrounded by people who are using their voices, whether they are just starting out with shaky words or confidently speaking out. The pages of this paper, and of many past and future issues of the Tufts Daily, are full of people using their voices to tell stories, to expose injustice and to draw attention to issues that deserve attention. The Daily could not exist without the passion, outspokenness and motivation of Tufts students. Tufts is the smallest American university with an independent daily newspaper, which means that we have to work harder to produce the paper every day and keep it afloat, but we’re very stubborn and very thankful for our independence. We could never do what we do without it.
And never forget that with raising your voice comes the responsibility to recognize when you have misused it or made a mistake. We at the Daily have made many mistakes, and we will surely make more, though I sincerely hope that we never repeat the same mistakes. Be open to criticism and listen when you’re called out for using your voice improperly (you will be). Always be open to apologizing; always be open to learning.
Other than that, find a couple great people and hold tight to them. You’ve got a wild week ahead, and a strange four years after that. You’re going to need each other.
On behalf of the Tufts Daily masthead, welcome to Tufts. You are exactly where you are supposed to be.
Sincerely,
Jessica Blough
Editor in Chief, The Tufts Daily
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