Our Favorite Stories and Videos of 2025

At the end of the year, we ask the Tufts Nowteam to pick the favorite pieces they wrote or produced-and what those pieces meant to them. Enjoy the wonderful mix of features, and check them out.

It Runs in the Family

Anthony Yu's energy and passion for life is contagious-and it's no surprise, because his mom seems to possess the same zeal. When I interviewed Anthony, who graduated this spring, and Elaine Wang Yu, the pair were gearing up to run the 2025 Boston Marathon together. It was to be Anthony's first and Elaine's 22nd.

While Anthony trained in Medford with the Tufts Marathon Team under the tutelage of veteran coach Don Megerle, Elaine did the same in their home state of New Jersey, giving Anthony tips and encouragement along the way.

The pair shared footage and photos with us from their training exercises and the marathon, and I couldn't help but smile while looking through it all. I pieced some of the media together in a video that brought me as much joy to produce as I think running the marathon brought Anthony-a contagious runner's high might be a new thing.

I'll will probably never run a marathon, but to know Elaine and Anthony is to be inspired by them. -Emily Brognano, senior content creator/editor

Two Origami Artists, on a Quest for the Perfect Paper

There was something especially Tufts about this story. At its heart, it's about a friendship that formed soon after two students were accepted at Tufts, sparked by a shared interest in origami.

It's also about a mission they set for themselves: to create a paper perfectly suited to their origami art. It found them commandeering the long tables in the Tisch Library basement late at night for their pulpy experiments.

When they decided to go outside the comfort zone of the Medford campus and enter the artists' domain of SMFA at Tufts, the support they found from both the studio manager and the student papermakers was as valuable as the specialized equipment at their disposal. It was the kind of quest where the journey was just as important as the destination. -Julie Flaherty, deputy editorial director

The Wizard Behind Wicked

Thirty years ago, Gregory Maguire reimagined the Wicked Witch of the West as a champion of the oppressed-and created a pop culture icon. Photo: Walter McBride/Getty; Color treatment: Heather Burke

As someone who grew up on Wicked and looked up to Gregory Maguire, AG90, as a writer, it was so meaningful for me to hear his musings on how far Wicked has come and the spirit he shares with Elphaba.

I was also delighted with the range of insights the topic of Wicked sparked all across Tufts, including many that didn't make it into the story-from the unique power of children's imagination and its role in adult creativity, to the fairytale moralism and fear of the modern world underpinning The Wizard of Oz.

Writing the story was a great excuse to revisit a beloved childhood realm through a professional and academic lens, and of course to replay the soundtrack a few (dozen) more times. -Monica Jimenez, senior culture and trends editor

The Music and Trance Connection

"Music is necessary, but it doesn't cause trance," says Rich Jankowsky. "Music creates the conditions for trance." Here, a trance dancer in a stambeli ceremony in Tunisia in 2009. Photo: Matthieu Hagene

When I saw a class called Music, Trance and Consciousness listed in the course catalog, it reminded me how once I saw Naqshbandi Sufis doing a turning dhikr ceremony-think whirling dervishes-set to trance-inducing music and chanting. Then I saw that Professor Rich Jankowsky, A95, had also written a recent book called Ambient Sufism, and I decided I had to investigate it for our Class Acts series about courses offered across the university.

It was fascinating to talk with Jankowsky, who had so many insights into the role of music in our consciousness. The class covered a very wide range of music, everything from Pakistani qawwalis to electronic dance music. I especially enjoyed talking with the students, a mix of music majors and psychology and cognitive science majors. Several of them told me it was their favorite class at Tufts, and I can see why.

If you're writing about music, it's good to hear it. So I created a short audio segment with music Jankowsky recorded during his field work in Tunisia with his descriptions of the music, along with a Spotify playlist from his class, trying to give a fuller flavor of the class experience. -Taylor McNeil, senior news and audience engagement editor

Affordability at Tufts

Tufts has the goal of ensuring all undergraduate students who earn their place at Tufts can attend, regardless of financial circumstances. Learn more about how Tufts meets 100% of demonstrated financial need for all admitted students, along with the commitment made by the Tufts Tuition Pact. Video: Anna Miller

This past fall, Tufts made a groundbreaking announcement about its commitment to financial aid. It launched the Tufts Tuition Pact, helping cover 100% of the demonstrated financial need for all of its admitted students, removing financial barriers to a Tufts education.

Partnering with the admissions office, our team connected with two remarkable Tufts students, Paul and Emma, who generously shared how Tufts' financial aid changed their lives. I was not only inspired by their openness to share their stories, but also by their desire to "pay it forward"-to help future students understand the resources available to them and feel supported in pursuing a Tufts education. -Anna Miller, senior multimedia producer

Tufts Veterinarian Helps Produce First Purebred Herdwick Sheep Born in U.S.

"Sheep and goats like to have twins, they're built to make twins," said veterinarian Rachael Gately. "There's some evidence that if you put in more than one embryo, there's a stronger chance of the ewe getting pregnant." Photo: Alonso Nichols

If you're not familiar with the world of sheep breeding and assisted reproductive techniques, I highly encourage you to spend a few minutes going down the rabbit hole with this story about Rachael Gately, a veterinarian at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.

Gately specializes in assisted reproductive techniques, and she's one of only a handful of experts east of the Mississippi who performs embryo transfer procedures in sheep. Her client, Judith Hooper, is one of only a handful of people in the country who keeps Herdwick sheep-a specialty breed from the U.K.

In June, they made history when Hooper's sheep gave birth to the first purebred Herwick lambs born in the U.S., thanks to embryos from the U.K. that Gately implanted months earlier.

My colleague Alonso Nichols traveled to Hooper's Connecticut farm to photograph the Herdwick sheep, so there are lots of beautiful images to see as you learn things you never knew you never knew about sheep and the talented veterinarians from Tufts Veterinary Field Service. -Angela Nelson, senior deputy editorial director for the health sciences

A Day Full of Jumbo Spirit at Tufts Homecoming 2025

There's no place like Home(coming)! Check out the sights and sounds from Tufts Homecoming 2025. Video: Anna Miller

Homecoming is always one of my favorite events at Tufts, and this year was no exception: Beautiful fall weather, spirited games, and the happy faces of students and the alumni who returned to campus made for an awesome experience.

This year, I not only got to write the Homecoming story, but also to to select a handful of photos that represented the wide variety of events and moments of connection. I also got to help my talented colleague, Anna Miller, with many aspects of the Homecoming video, including doing a lot of the interviews that are throughout it.

My Tufts colleagues put on a wonderful Homecoming every year, and I encourage alumni to make the trip back to the Medford/Somerville campus to celebrate next year. -Sara Norberg, digital content production specialist

'Don't Fall for FOMO'

"I didn't have many opportunities back home-here, it's opportunities everywhere," says Karla Armoush. "Don't feel guilty about missing out on a few of them to take time for yourself." Photo: Andy Kwok

When new colleagues join our team, we have a welcome-breakfast tradition in which each person offers advice to the newest team member. My guidance always is the same: When you're having a bad day, find a Tufts student to interview, as it's a surefire way to feel good about our collective future.

When I last gave that advice, I was recalling Karla Armoush. My conversations with Our Tufts series subjects are always enjoyable, but Karla possesses a distinctive combination of wisdom, wit, and warmth that, months later, continues to give me hope for a future in which young people like her are leading the way. -Dave Nuscher, executive director, content and planning

The Scariest Halloween Candies for Your Teeth

What danger lurks inside those popular sour candies? For your teeth, they pose a greater risk of causing cavities than most other sweets. Photo: Shutterstock

My biggest Halloween dilemma has become what kind of candy to buy. Do I get candy that I like, with the very real chance I'll overindulge myself, especially if there are leftovers; or choose items invite temptation? While my favorite Halloween treat is Baby Ruth, I know sweets that contain sticky ingredients, like caramel, pose particular concern for your teeth.

But I learned this year there are confections that make poor ol' Baby Ruth pale in comparison. I'm talking about sour candies, which have skyrocketed in popularity-with their high acid content, they are the most likely culprits to contribute to tooth decay. Nadine Tassabehji, assistant professor at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, gave me the rundown on how highly acidic candy can damage our teeth, and ways to mitigate it.

Which all made me feel a little less guilty about the Baby Ruths (although they're certainly not harmless). Maybe next year I'll switch to giving out pencils and little rubber balls. -Helene Ragovin, senior content creator/editor

The Menus Have Changed, But Dining Halls Keep Dishing Up Tastes of Home

Video: Jandro Cisneros

"Food is one of the best ways to bring people together," Eilleen Barett, J99, says in this tribute to Tufts dining halls. Our writer, Jamie Saxon, J83, who fondly recalls eating in Dewick with the Arena Theater crowd, talked with Barett and other alums who remembered forming lasting friendships over shared meals on campus, whether those meals featured Boston brown bread or sweet chili tofu.

With archival photos from the 1920s, '40s, '50s, '60s, and '70s and a sweeping history that includes memories of a campaign for more chocolate donuts, tributes to popular cashier Lil Cunningham, and recipes for banana bread and butternut bisque, this story was delicious from start to finish. -Heather Stephenson, senior deputy editorial director

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