I am an international student from Brazil, or at least I was until my family and I moved to Lexington in July 2024, one week before the program started. I applied to Engineering Investigations with the goal of learning more about the different areas of engineering to understand if this is what I want as a career and if so, which major to choose.
After two intense weeks of working, doing projects, listening to speakers and students, and investigating various aspects of different areas of engineering, I can say that, thanks to Tufts, I am sure of the path I want to follow and much more at ease in choosing which engineering will be part of my future.
However, more importantly, I am very grateful to be able to say that the environment of camaraderie that Tufts offers allowed me to experience a sense of belonging for the first time since leaving the country I used to call home. The friendships I made and the experiences I had gave me the peace of mind that even though I am now far from my country, I can find more places to call home and feel as welcomed as I did at Tufts.
In short, the program's academic excellence provided me with many opportunities to do a lot of hands-on projects and to learn a lot about the different aspects of being an engineer but, most importantly, it provided an environment where I could make mistakes, learn, and feel comfortable while doing so.
