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Inna is the Student President and student intern. Even though her title symbolizes that she's involved, I can certainly say I've engaged her because she was new to Hillel when she interviewed to be an intern. Every JCSC wants a student like Inna. She's quiet at first, but once you get to know her, her personality shines. Inna and I became friends, and simply because of our friendship, she attended a lot of my programs. We got to know each other by carpooling to most of them. I know I'll stay in touch with her beyond my time here, and maybe she's the one who "engaged" me. She's one of the reasons my life in LA is so wonderful.
I met Alexis at Pierce College as I was standing in the booth one day. She wanted immediately to become involved, so I took her to coffee at a mall near her house. She had thousands of stories to tell me, and was the master at run-on sentences. She is a delightful student, and even when she stopped taking classes at Pierce, and switched to Moorpark College because it was closer to home, she still came to programs. She has volunteered for every planning committee, and was an integral part of my trip to San Diego during Spring Break.
Shadi was one of my favorite stories. She had already been involved for a half of a year when I met her. She was immediately interested in coming to my women's events. At my "Women's Spa Night," we made organic face masks, talked about inner beauty, and heard from Mrs. Volynsky, one of our student's mothers who came to speak about natural skin care. This event was at my apartment, so it was small and intimate. When it was Shadi's turn to speak, she said that she felt fat and ugly, and it's something she really didn't like about herself. Mrs. Volynsky immediately coached her on looking internally to find beauty, and everyone there said supportive things. Since then, Shadi always approaches me saying "hello beautiful". At two of our events, she's read and acted out a poem that she wrote about beauty. Overall, despite her learning disabilities, and her former low self-esteem, her confidence shines, making her one of the most beautiful people I know.
I met Diana through Jessica, a student I met at the booth at Pierce College. The two girls, often inseparable, came to many Cafe Hillel events. I began privately tutoring Diana in Hebrew, and we soon became friends. We usually had to set a meeting time just to talk, so that it wouldn't conflict with our Hebrew lessons. I find that one-on-one sessions, whether they be coffee dates, Hebrew lessons, or anything else have been the most successful for me. While our main goal was learning Hebrew, we've developed a comfort level with each other, and have gained so much more by meeting once a week. Diana has been active ever since, and was the bride in our recent Mock Wedding. She was adorable.
Ramon saw a flyer I put up on the bulletin board at Valley college for "Jam with the Jews". I arranged to pick him up and take him to Hillel one Thurs. evening. When I first met him, I asked if he was Jewish because he looked Hispanic, and I rarely meet Hispanic Jews. That sparked a great conversation. He told me about his family history of being Marano Jews, a group of Jews who just recently are admitting to being Jewish. He is an amazing instrumentalist, and a fun person.
I met Abraham while tabling at Valley College. I wasn't the one to initially sign him up, but he was very interested in becoming active, and started coming to Cafe Hillel. We bonded when I drove him home from retreat in December. He was happy to show up to events, but I felt my relationship with him grew, enriching the events for both of us. Toward the end of the year, he came on my San Diego trip. He had an amazing attitude, and is just a cool guy in general. He's one of those students I could always count on, and I'm glad to know him!
Pinney and Drew, and the gang, are friend's with Inna. She dragged them along to Hillel because, well, she does that. Thank goodness she did! They are some of the coolest folks I've met. They are musicians, alternative, and not representative of our Hillel "regulars". One night when we were about to close Hillel and go home, I saw they guys sittin' on the couch, playing guitar, hanging out and having a good time. I told Rick and Nomi I'd stay and lock up (even though I'd usually leave the same time as them), because I felt these guys needed to know that Hillel is for THEM, and they can hang there, and feel free and comfortable. Now of course when it was midnight, I decided to call it a night, but that extra hour with the guys was really wonderful for me. It was musical bonding time, and I think it was good for them too!
I teach Rita Hebrew (and she teaches me Farsi - Persian) once a week. Though she's only been to a few Hillel events, because she's overworked, she truly appreciates what I've done for her, and every time I see her on campus, she tells me how much she loves me. Though Hillel is not her thing, my job is to provide Jewish resources to students, and with her, that's exactly what I've done.