BLOOM Center Team
Grace Caldara, PhD
Assistant Dean of Student Inclusive Excellence
Dr. Grace Caldara's passion for STEM began in high school when her uncle gave her a tour of his biology research lab. When she later pursued an undergraduate education in chemistry, she quickly realized that as a Black woman in STEM she often was one of the few people of color to occupy the space. She credits the exposure and mentoring she received through the Ronald E McNair program for her success in completing her degree program and pursuit of a career in STEM. She is looking forward to helping the next generation of STEM students to thrive in their programs at Tufts University
Prior to joining Tufts, Dr. Caldara was the Senior Manager of Learning and Development at Supermajority, a non profit organization working to advance gender equity through education, training, storytelling and activism. During her time at Supermajority she developed and facilitated a nationwide leadership program, run annually, in which she taught thousands of young women of color values-based leadership strategies. Additionally, she managed the 2.9 million member Pantsuit Nation community focused on elevating personal stories and lived experiences from women from across the country. Prior to its merger with Supermajority, Dr. Caldara was the Director of Community Engagement for the Pantsuit Nation Foundation where she developed diversity, equity and inclusion training materials to more effectively support and guide her team of online moderators in facilitating difficult discussions around race, gender and other systematic marginalizations. She also authored content for the book Pantsuit Nation.
Dr. Caldara holds a Master's and PhD in Chemistry from the University of California Irvine and a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Boston College. Prior to joining the non-profit sector, she also taught Biochemistry labs at Chapman University.
Cara Zampino
Associate Director, BLOOM Resource Center
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Cara joined the BLOOM Resource Center team in 2025 to serve as the Associate Director, following her time in the role on an interim basis. She first came to Tufts University in 2024 as the Administrative Coordinator of the Latinx Center. She holds a B.A. in Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Cultures from Princeton University.
Before joining Tufts, Cara served as the Director of Tutoring at Command Education and as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at the National University of Colombia. Throughout her career, she has championed student success, fostered cross-cultural understanding, and worked to create inclusive and affirming communities.
Cara is thrilled to welcome you to the BLOOM Center; please do stop by!
Room 205
Sehba Hasan
Associate Director
Sehba Hasan is the Associate Director for the Center for STEM Diversity, as well as Program Manager for the BEST program, and takes joy in helping underrepresented students achieve academic success by connecting students to right resources and organizing different workshops, seminars, events, and meetings. Born and brought-up in India, a country rich in diversity, Sehba understands and looks forward to serving a diverse population.
Before coming to Tufts, Sehba worked as an Assistant Director at the Mount Wachusett Community College and served two federally funded grants that supported First-Generation and Low-Income students and helped them achieve higher education.
She has a degree in Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunications and her Masters in Business Administration, with Management as the major. In addition to STEM, Sehba loves cooking, arts, and crafts.
Sophia Hamdan
Program Administrator
Before arriving at Tufts in 2021, Sophia earned her Bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of Mary Washington, and a Master's degree in Higher Education Administration from Boston College. She oversaw the Campus Activities Board at Boston College and promoted inclusive programming practices. Sophia also interned at both the University of California San Diego and Curry College; at the former, she supported a latitude of student needs through a Residence Life capacity, and, at the latter, she implemented Restorative Justice practices and created resources benefitting survivors of sexual assault.
After graduating with her Master’s degree, she worked with Wellesley College to create multi-week, comprehensive courses for all faculty, staff, and students to educate them on anti-racist practices, sexuality and gender topics, and how to be an effective ally. Sophia is also an accomplished public speaker; she has delivered speeches, presentations, and trainings to audiences of over 1,000 people on topics of leadership, advocacy, empowerment, and inclusive habits.
As the Program Administrator overseeing the STEM Ambassador program, she is responsible for the successful execution of the program and the development of the Ambassadors. Sophia is the main contact for Tufts' community partners regarding the STEM Ambassadors program and within the Engineering Ambassadors Network for Tufts.