Hometown: Geneseo, NY
Majors: Clinical Psychology and English
Minor: Chinese
Emily Sullivan is a senior from Geneseo, NY, studying clinical psychology and English, with a minor in Chinese. Raised by a translator and a librarian, a love of language and books was never a question for her.
Coming from a rural town, Emily was excited to be involved in Mixed and Asian American spaces at Tufts. As president of the Association of Mixed People at Tufts, Emily has worked to increase the club’s presence on campus and build community among mixed students. Combining her love of art with her dedication to her community, Emily has also been a dance leader in Wuze, the Chinese-Fusion dance group, and a lead writing editor for Voices, the oldest Asian American literary and arts magazine in New England. Emily’s Tufts experience also spans borders, bringing her to Beijing for her study abroad. There, Emily strengthened her language abilities, deepened her understanding of Chinese culture, and reconnected with family. Upon return, Emily worked with the Chinese program to promote Tufts in Beijing to ensure the program’s continuation. Her dedication and efforts there earned her the Chinese Program Alumni Award.
The mental health and well-being of her community have always been important to Emily. Since her sophomore year, Emily has been a Mental Health Rep and worked with CMHS to plan events, lead workshops, and promote awareness of mental health resources. With the AWARE Lab at the Boston University School of Social Work, Emily researched mental health and quality of life in suicide bereaved Asian American families. She has found it incredibly rewarding to contribute to the first study of its kind within the US. Emily has connected her passion for literature with her mental health background, bridging the two together in her English honors thesis research on the role of trauma in post-war fantasy worlds.
Emily has also found joy working with students. For three years, Emily was a literacy tutor with the Tufts Literacy Corps. There, she worked with local students to provide free individual tutoring on reading and writing skills. At the college level, Emily has served as a Writing Fellow with the STAAR Center, helping peers with their essays and writing processes.
Emily is excited to bring her passion for education and literacy to St. Johnsbury Academy, where she will be joining the English department faculty. In later years, she intends to pursue a PhD in literature with a focus on medical humanities.
Emily Sullivan, A26