Undergraduate Orientation Staff
Staff
Mary Kate Kelley (She/Her/Hers)
Director, Orientation and Student Experience
As the director of orientation, Mary Kate oversees pre-orientation, orientation, and first-year experience for new students to support students’ transition to Tufts. Mary Kate also serves as fraternity and sorority advisor and assists with other initiatives to increase the student experience.
Mary Kate holds a masters in higher education from Boston College and before working at Tufts worked in first year experience and housing at Endicott College and Boston College.
Alyssa Zahoruiko (She/Her/Hers)
Assistant Director Student Life, Orientation & Student Experience
Alyssa is from North Andover Massachusetts, where she received her BA from Merrimack College. She received her MEd from Suffolk University before moving across the country to work at the University of Redlands in their Residence life department.
Prior to joining Tufts in 2024, Alyssa worked in Undergraduate Admission at her alma mater, Merrimack College. Alyssa is excited to work with first-year students attending pre-orientation and orientation as they transition into the Tufts community! In her role, Alyssa also supports student life initiatives and fraternity and sorority life on campus.
Emily Louks
Graduate Intern
Emily (she/her) is originally from Southern California, but recently moved to Boston to pursue her M.A. in Higher Education at Boston College. Prior to working for Orientation at Tufts, she worked in orientation programming as an undergraduate at UC San Diego. She also has experience in student conduct and restorative practices, in her role as a Graduate Assistant at Boston College. Emily is excited to be getting back into orientation work at Tufts and to help incoming students transition to the community!
Ruby Appleton
Orientation Coordinator
Ruby (she/her, Class of 2028) is a rising junior who is from Bangkok, Thailand and Belo Horizonte, Brazil. She majors in International Relations and History. On campus, she is involved in TCU Senate, Hemispheres, the Petey Greene Program, and TEDxTufts.
Grace Roll
Orientation Coordinator
Grace (she/her, Class of 2027) is a rising senior from Albuquerque, New Mexico, studying clinical psychology and Spanish on the path to becoming a psychologist. At Tufts, Grace works as an event coordinator with the Tufts University Social Collective and teaches children's piano lessons on the weekends. She loves learning about other cultures and languages, and spent her spring semester studying abroad in Madrid. In her free time, Grace likes to explore Boston by taking long walks through different neighborhoods and trying new restaurants with her friends.
Joe Peterson
Orientation Coordinator
Joe (he/him, Class of 2027) is thrilled to be returning to the Orientation team for a third and final summer. He is a rising Senior from Minnesota double majoring in Community Health and Theatre, Dance, & Performance Studies. On campus, Joe is heavily involved with the Tufts University Social Collective, Tufts Admissions, and various music and theatre groups! He loves kayaking, hiking, and now skiing (after trying it once this winter). When he's not hopping on the green line into Boston, you can find him with an iced latte (probably from Nine Bar in Davis Square). He can't wait to welcome the class of 2030 to campus and complete his Orientation trifecta!
Kay Glimcher
Orientation Coordinator
Katharine (Kay, she/her, Class of 2028) is a third-year combined degree student from New York City. She is double-majoring in Political Science and Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) at A&S, and majoring in Studio Art at SMFA with an interdisciplinary concentration. Katharine is the Special Projects Assistant for the Department of Music in the box office. Extracurricularly, Katharine is the Editor-in-Chief/Creative Director of Melisma Magazine, Tufts' only music magazine, and is a director and actor primarily working in student theatre groups. She is also the incoming president of Pen, Paint, and Pretzels (3Ps), Tufts' oldest student theatre organization. This will be her third summer working Orientation, and she is SO excited to meet everyone! When she isn't running from place to place, you can find Katharine running at least two Instagram pages!