Tufts Alumni

RECOGNITION

Awards Applaud Outstanding Seniors

The Tufts University Alumni Association's Seniors Awards were bestowed on April 29 on 11 members of the Class of 2000 for outstanding academic achievement and ex- traordinary service to the Tufts community. All award recipients achieved outstanding academic records, in addition to their wide participation in campus activities. Those recognized were as follows:

Marybeth Baker of Northfield, MA, served as co-captain of the Tufts women's basketball team. She was named the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Player of the Week as well as to the NESCAC all defensive and all academic teams. She led incoming freshman in Wilderness Orientation, in addition to her involvement in EPIIC symposia, which serve to educate the public on global issues. She is also a trained volunteer for Boston's AIDS Action Committee.

Stacy Birdsell of Houston led activities of the Student/Alumni Relations Committee and participated both on stage and behind the scenes in all of the Torn Ticket productions of twice-a-year musicals. She was a resident assistant, coordinating the guest speakers segment of the Bridge Metcalf program. She also served as a member of the Conference Bureau staff and in the Student Outreach program in Undergraduate Admissions.

Erin Cox of Syosset, NY, was involved for four years with Tufts' community service organization, the Leonard Carmichael Society, which has 39 separate programs and more than 100 volunteers. In addition to becoming its president in 1999, she served as co-president of the Child Development Association and represented Tufts in the Massachusetts Campus Compact (MACC) program, a university presidentÕs organization bringing together students who are interested in issues of social justice, active citizenship, student empowerment and service. She also co-taught an Exploration seminar.

Tiphanie Gundel of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, was involved with Tufts publications such as The Tufts Daily, Queens Head and Artichoke literary magazine, and Onyx literary magazine. In addition to her participation in such intercultural organizations as the International Club, Pan-African Alliance and Kwanza Celebration, she was vice president of her dormitory council and a student member of the Higher Education Initiative Symposium. She was also a member of the Peace and Justice Executive Board and taught an Exploration seminar to 14 incoming students.

Mayuri Guntupalli of Williamsville, NY, was a member of the directional staff, which was responsible for making decisions and overseeing 39 volunteer programs of the Leonard Carmichael Society. She coordinated KidÕs Day, a full-day carnival for local children, as well as planning several weeks of "Leap into Spring/Into the Streets" one-day volunteer opportunities. She also co-taught an Exploration seminar and participated in this year's EPIIC Symposium.

Matthew Lyons of Wakefield, MA, a mechanical engineering major, was a four-year varsity athlete in cross-country and track, served as captain of the cross-country team and was named Academic All-American in cross country for three years. He was an active student representative on a faculty-student-industry department advisory committee and served as co-president of the Tufts Protestant Group, as well as participating in Habitat for Humanity projects.

Erika Yoshiko Niwa of Darien, CT, was involved for four years in Traveling Treasure Trunk, a children's theatre and improvisational troupe of Tufts students who write and perform in local schools, hospitals and shelters. She coordinated volunteers and managed Oxfam CafŽ, and co-taught to 14 incoming students an Exploration course that involved literature, poetry and creative expression. She also served as a teaching assistant and research assistant in the Child Development Department.

Keshia Pollack of Deer Park, NY, was a leader in the African-American community at Tufts as a peer advisor at the African-American Center, president and treasurer of the Caribbean Club, a member of the Black Theatre Company, and secretary and co-president of the chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers. A member of the 1999 Homecoming Court and a resident assistant in her dorm, she was a community volunteer with Bridge Over Troubled Water, Habitat for Humanity and the Benjamin Banneker Saturday School in Cambridge.

Isaac Saposnik of Chicago coordinated the StudentsÕ Outreach and April Open House programs for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, and taught in the American Studies Department. He also served as president of the Tufts Hillel and presided over the governing board responsible for planning and implementing social and religious programs for the Jewish community on the Tufts campus.

Suzanne Swarc of Medford, MA, served as president of the Math Club, organizing a series of popular and important activities for math majors. She participated in the Tufts Leadership Program in Hong Kong as well as follow-up seminars, including planning a three-day university-wide symposium called Globalization and Modernization for China. She also rowed on the women's crew team, was a student supervisor of the campus coffee shop, and wrote and copy-edited for The Observer.

James Weinberg of White Plains, NY, served as vice president of the Leonard Carmichael Society. As a program associate of the Lincoln Filene Center's National focus on Citizenship and Democracy, he developed programming to inspire students to become more effective leaders in the fields of policy and social justice.

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