Vanderbilt Hillel has always been a place first year Jewish students can feel at home as soon as they step foot on campus. Last year, I visited Hillel for move-in Shabbat before I even stepped foot in my dorm room. Ever since, Hillel has been a home and a community for me. That feeling is thanks to my experience on the First Year Students of Hillel board, or FYSH for short.
The FYSH Board is designed to get first year students involved in Hillel leadership right from the start of their college career. The board has the opportunity to bring Hillel to the Commons and engage in outreach in cool and innovative ways. My loved for Hillel is deeply intertwined with the experience I had while I was on FYSH Board.
Now serving as the Vice President of Membership, I have the honor of being able to oversee the FYSH Board and I could not be more proud of the things we have done thus far this year. This year saw so many quality applicants, we are thrilled to have the largest FYSH Board in Vanderbilt Hillel’s History. With 32 awesome, devoted and passionate First Year students creating dynamic programming and designing creative new ways to engage in outreach, I’m so excited to see what they do throughout the year. Their presence is already making waves throughout the Hillel and Vanderbilt community through their roles as FYSH ambassadors to the other boards within Hillel. Through their involvement, I know Hillel has the opportunity to be a home for more Jewish students at Vanderbilt than ever before, and I cannot wait to see what they do.
By Grant Hansell, VP of Membership