For some, spring break means beaches and other travel. But for students taking part in the inaugural Jumbo Spring Break, their week off from classes was filled with volunteering in the Greater Boston community, exploring professional opportunities and building connections in industry, government, and nonprofit sectors, and making new friendships with fellow Jumbos. 

Among the events were a visit with City of Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, an afternoon of working with nonprofit organization Environment America, a three-day Habitat for Humanity build in nearby Malden, and a bowling night at Sacco’s Bowl Haven in Davis Square, Somerville.

“The big focuses of the week are on civic engagement and on being a part of the community outside of Tufts. We as students should be actively engaged and involved with all that’s happening around us,” said Lenka Smiljanic, A27, a student co-coordinator of Jumbo Spring Break alongside Julian Chun, A24. “We wanted to make this week fun and exciting and also worthwhile and in service of a bigger purpose.”

For some who participated in Jumbo Spring Break, it was their first opportunity to spend a significant amount of time in the local cities around Tufts’ Medford/Somerville campus. “Many of us are very new to the community, including myself, and we hadn’t been able to fully experience the area, so it’s been cool to be able to do that this week,” said Smiljanic.