Alumni

Zara Rancheva '18

Zara Rancheva is a member of the Class of 2018 from Karlovo, Bulgaria. Growing up in a small town has taught her that one is personally responsible for broadening their perspectives and cultivating a deeper understanding of the world, regardless of physical limitations. She believes a rich family library, painstakingly accommodated into a modest living space, together with her mother’s enlightening literary guidance, played a central role in the formation of her values and beliefs.

Her major is Political Science and she hopes to investigate how people perceive their political environment and arrive at their conceptions of liberty and justice. Moreover, she is convinced these sciences provide us with the unique power to look both into the past and into the future of our civilization with greater clarity, given that our theories are sufficiently sophisticated and objective.

Zara is a member of the Tufts Debate Society and frequently travels with her teammates to compete. Her reflections about the overall experience are fully in line with J.S. Mills’ assertion that it only when we need to actively defend our beliefs that we can obtain insight about their true grounds and content. She is also involved with the Compass Fellowship, a group of students exploring the concept of social entrepreneurship and its applications, and the Fencing team. Both have revealed the importance of strategy, focus, and decisiveness in different, but equally illustrative ways. Lastly, Zara devotes time and efforts to creative writing, striving to capture daily frustrations and fleeting affects in such a way that they remain both intimate and relatable. During her last two years of high school, she received national awards for her works, and is currently exploring novel sources of inspiration.

As an Oslo scholar this past summer, she worked with worked with Srdja Popovic as a Research Intern for his organization, the Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies (CANVAS) in Belgrade, Serbia.

Liam Flaherty '18

A local from Massachusetts, Liam is a senior at Tufts double majoring in German Studies and International Relations. Having participated in the 2015-2016 EPIIC colloquium and symposium on the Future of Europe under the guidance of Sherman Teichman and having spent the 2016-2017 academic year studying at the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Liam is excited to be back at Tufts and to begin exploring this year’s new and relevant theme of the Liberal World Order and to learn from the expertise and knowledge of Abi Williams. Liam was a member of the Oslo Scholars Program during the summer of 2016, giving him the opportunity to intern with Healing Kashmir and be mentored by Justine Hardy in Jammu and Kashmir, India. His interests include peace and conflict studies, the politics of populism, as well as the nature and implications of liberalism on contemporary social dynamics and institutional structures.

As an Oslo Scholar in 2016 Liam interned with Justine Hardy and her organization, Healing Kashmir, which provides mental health services and builds resiliency and strength among people affected by Kashmir's political violence. He worked on a project to develop an argument for implementing a mental health program into high schools.

Anne Hall '18

Anne is a member of the Class of 2019 and is from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She is a Biology and Interdisciplinary Studies double major, and has passions ranging from women’s health to Spanish language and culture to photography. She is involved in numerous groups on campus including the Tufts First-Gen Council, GlobeMed at Tufts, Minority Association of Pre-Health Students (MAPS), and Oslo Scholars.

Engaging in meaningful conversations regarding the intersectionality between faith and social justice work is extremely important to Anne, and she is ecstatic to continue contributing to this conversation at Tufts as a 2017 Cafe Peer Leader. In her free time, Anne loves to read, embark on spontaneous adventures and go on walks.

This past summer Ann worked remotely with Dr. Nada Dhaif who is a Bahraini oral and dental surgeon and founder of the Bahraini Rehabilitation & Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO). Ann also attended the Oslo Freedom Forum in Oslo, Norway.