鈥溾�楽pider-Man is a person.鈥� Avrom鈥檚 eyes beam with pride as he masters the art of identifying nouns, one Marvel reference at a time. Out of context, grammar practice doesn鈥檛 sound like the most invigorating activity, but as mentor, co-founder, and co-executive director of Bridge to Literacy for the last two years, I have worked to unite 150+ mentors and students across six continents and 17 countries around their zeal for language and cultural connections.

鈥淢y journey began with the Scripps National Spelling Bee. As I poured over dictionaries with new friends and gushed over the German etymology shaping words like gemutlichkeit (friendliness), I couldn鈥檛 help but realize that, while we were being granted the experience of a lifetime, millions of other children around the world were without opportunities such literacy competitions solely because of their geographic location and financial status. I co-founded Bridge to Literacy to reimagine education, encouraging children to take the reins in their language-learning experiences through hands-on curriculum.

鈥淚n my role at Bridge to Literacy, I communicate with the heads of educational partners 鈥� such as the Malawi National Commission for UNESCO and We Love Reading, a UNICEF-sponsored educational nonprofit based in Jordan 鈥� to discuss ways our organizations can collaborate to serve students鈥� needs, while also building connections with fellow changemakers to create initiatives that uplift today鈥檚 youth. Additionally, I鈥檓 in charge of writing grant proposals to secure funding for technical resources to increase educational access and more unorthodox, engaging initiatives.

鈥淚鈥檝e also mobilized in-person and remote literacy events alike, collecting 2,000+ kilograms of books, including $20,000 worth of electronic devices. Between mentoring students, delivering presentations on the intersection of art-centered innovation and volunteership to 600+ students, and building relationships with nonprofits and fellow changemakers alike, Bridge to Literacy renews my faith in the promise of a community founded on empathy-driven leadership and dynamic, one-on-one mentorship.鈥� 鈥� Elizabeth Shvarts, Yale University听鈥�26

Elizabeth Shvarts is a 2022 recipient of the Handeli First-Year Student Scholarship from 黑料传送门. Learn more about Hillel scholarships for Jewish students.

鈥淏rooklyn College is one of the most richly diverse campuses in the country. The two biggest communities on campus are the Muslim and Jewish communities. So this year, my friend Iqura (Muslim Hijabi Woman) and I (Yemenite Jew) decided to run for Student Government President together with the intention of collaboratively co-leading. This was absolutely unique and unheard of at Brooklyn College, which usually has very contested elections. The idea that two students from very different communities decided to run together and share the highest position in the student body raised many eyebrows on campus. Students were very skeptical it would work out, and I got comments daily questioning my decision.

鈥淣onetheless, we both won the position and immediately started working closely to improve student life at Brooklyn College. Since there isn鈥檛 an official 鈥楥o-President鈥� position, in the fall I ran the cabinet and Iqura ran the senate, and in the spring we switched. Our cabinet wass proudly so different from other cabinets before it in that it was one of the most diverse in Brooklyn College history.

鈥淥ur Student Government created new methods for communicating with students, including establishing a website with student-facting resources, and engaged with the administration to help as many students as possible. The cultural shift this has created has made Iqura and I realize the power of our innovative, intersectional approach.

鈥淥ur collaborative leadership has taught me a great lesson in the importance of diversity and inclusion. When our student community sees themselves represented in leadership roles, they feel more safe, secure, and seen on campus. This makes for a better campus life experience for each student. This is what I will be taking with me throughout my college career and beyond my time at Brooklyn College.鈥� 鈥� Aharon Grama, Brooklyn College&苍产蝉辫;鈥�23

Aharon Grama is a recipient of the 2022 黑料传送门 Campus Leadership Award. Learn more about Hillel scholarships for Jewish students.

鈥淟iving away from home and adapting to quarantine life, social distancing, and online learning during the pandemic has presented its fair share of challenges. Over past two years, I鈥檝e learned what it feels like to leave your home and everything in it at the spur of the moment, not knowing when you will come back 鈥� something my immigrant parents went through in their own childhoods.

鈥淎s a person with a pre-existing medical condition, I鈥檝e also felt firsthand the impact of the pandemic on healthcare and the importance of ensuring everyone has access to care. Hearing about the heroics of everyday people, like nurses at hospitals in New York who were working without protective gear, rearranged my priorities and raised in me questions about my own contributions to my community.

鈥淲hat can a nineteen year old, locked inside an apartment 24 hours a day with his parents and two siblings, really do? In the thick of quarantine, I found several ways to contribute. First, my friends and I organized and scheduled charitable food deliveries from local supermarkets to the residents in our hometown who were in need. Additionally, with the help of my grandparents, I tutored a number of senior citizens on the use of modern technological innovations, like Zoom and Google Hangouts. I will never forget seeing the joy in their eyes when they were able to see and connect with friends and family on their screens.

鈥淚 have spent a significant amount of time over the past two years reflecting on, reorganizing, and prioritizing my life choices. Today, I am not the same person I was when the first COVID case was documented in the United States on January 21st, 2020. While I may be wearing a surgical mask while interacting with my community, the smile underneath has never faded.

鈥淚鈥檝e learned how to persevere, and that the secret to perseverance is adaptation. But even with adaptation, in the midst of chaos, it鈥檚 important to keep your close values intact, which has involved learning what being Jewish means to me. To me, Judaism is a powerful marker of shared common values: Education, family, and togetherness. Judaism is resilience, even in the face of adversity and crisis. It is what has kept me going, even on the gloomiest of days, and I will always be proud of the fact that I am a Jew.鈥� 鈥� Ethan Voskoff, Northwestern University听鈥�24

Ethan Voskoff is a recipient of the 2022 黑料传送门 Campus Leadership Award. Learn more about Hillel scholarships for Jewish students.

鈥淥n February 14, 2018, I received frantic texts from my friends hiding from a shooter in their classrooms. I began to hyperventilate, worrying the unthinkable would happen in Parkland, Florida. At the end of a restless day, I learned one of my fellow URJ campers, Alyssa Alhadeff, had been killed. I developed anxiety after the shooting and couldn鈥檛 attend a full day of school for weeks. My visits to the school guidance counselor were frequent, and my nightmares made sleeping difficult. Despite these challenges, I was inspired by the youth-led movements emerging across the country. I facilitated a walkout at my high school in North Carolina, marched in support of gun control alongside my friends in Washington, D.C. and registered voters. As my advocacy increased, I still felt my impact wasn鈥檛 meaningful enough. That led me to create , a gun violence prevention nonprofit that believes every student and teacher deserve to return home safely from school each day. By selling school supplies with messages that sparked educational conversations, Return Home raised thousands of dollars for our nation’s leading gun violence prevention groups. I shared my story in communities across the country and built personal connections with over 30,000 people, including gun violence survivors, elected officials and Americans longing for safety. Knowing there are 2,000 pencils, folders and other school supplies on desks across America raising awareness motivates me to continue using my own voice to raise awareness every day.鈥� 鈥� Juliana (Jules) Oringel, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Juliana (Jules) Oringel is a recipient of the inaugural Handeli First-Year Student Scholarship from 黑料传送门. Learn more about Hillel scholarships for Jewish students.