Despite the abrupt changes and disappointment our students have had to grapple with these past weeks, Hillel Milwaukee is proud to introduce this year’s winners of the Bernard and Helen F. Soref scholarships. Each of these three winners will receive an $1800 scholarship that will be used for tuition and expenses during the upcoming 2020/21 academic year. Michaela Brooke (Marquette University - Class of 2023), Mikayla Eliyha (UW-Milwaukee - Class of 2022) and Ben Stern (UW-Milwaukee - Class of 2022) are shining examples of outstanding students who are achieving academic success while making Jewish life and learning a priority in their lives. We are so proud of YOU and look forward to when we all return to campus and can celebrate your accomplishments!
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Michaela Brooke is a freshman in Marquette University’s direct-admit Doctorate of Physical Therapy program. She is Hillel Milwaukee’s student board Vice President of Jewish Life and Learning and takes an active role in the Jewish Student Union at Marquette University. Outside of Jewish life on campus, she is a member of the Marquette University figure skating team, and she is a shadow host for prospective Marquette students. Michaela is from Evanston, IL. In her free time, Michaela enjoys ice skating, playing guitar, and in the summer, she enjoys being a counselor and song leader at Camp Havaya in Pennsylvania.
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Michaela's Hillel Story: “Growing up, being in and participating in Jewish spaces was a pillar of my identity. I went to the local JCC for preschool and day camp, attended religious school at my synagogue for all thirteen years of my schooling, participated in and led synagogue youth group events, and in the summers I went to Camp Havaya where I am now a staff member. When my college decision process appeared to be drawing me towards the specialized program offered at a Catholic Jesuit institution, I was highly aware that I would be entering into a small Jewish minority on campus , and I found it challenging that I might not be surrounded by a Jewish community. But my concerns were wiped away when I found Hillel Milwaukee. From the moment I stepped through the doors, I had a feeling that I had found a space where I would be comfortable, supported, and uplifted. Hillel has given me a space where I can not only meet and learn from others about how they live Jewishly, but where I feel comfortable expressing my Judaism in a way that is meaningful to me.”
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Mikayla Eliyha is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee working towards a major in Information Science & Technology, a minor in Computer Science, and a certificate in Website Development. She is Hillel Milwaukee’s student board Vice President of Israel Affairs and is a Birthright Israel recruiter. Outside of Jewish life on campus, she is involved in the Society of Women Engineers and Girls Who Code organizations on campus, and has an internship through UWM as a project manager for "Nonprof-IT". Mikayla is from Sturgeon Bay, WI. In her free time, she enjoys painting, cooking, going on adventures, listening to music, and dancing.
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Mikayla's Hillel Story: “I stumbled upon Hillel after receiving an email about the Side by Side Mission to Israel. I applied to the program, went in for my interview, and was introduced to Birthright Israel (which I did not know existed prior to my interview.) I applied to go on Birthright Israel, and the rest is history. After I returned, I began meeting with Hillel staff for coffee, meeting new people and attending events. I have developed so many new friendships through my Hillel involvement. I love hearing everybody's stories while having access to an atmosphere that makes me feel more at home.”
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Ben Stern is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee working towards a degree as a dual major in Journalism, Advertising & Media Studies and Communications. He is one of Hillel Milwaukee’s Blue & Gold Community Shabbat co-chairs, as well as holds the leadership position as Brother-At-Large for Alpha Epsilon Pi, the Jewish fraternity at UW-Milwaukee. Outside of Jewish life on campus, he is a part of the UW-Milwaukee Sports Marketing & Fan Experience Team, helping to create memorable fan experiences at various UW-Milwaukee sporting events. Ben is from Neenah, WI. In his free time, he enjoys playing guitar and making music, watching movies with his brothers and playing video games.
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Ben's Hillel Story: "There has never been a moment in my life when I wasn't proud to be Jewish; but up until I arrived in Milwaukee, observing my faith was also an inherently solitary experience. My parents told me that we had an obligation to "hold the line" for Judaism. We had a duty to maintain the faith -- because if we didn't do it, there was no one behind us to keep the candles burning. My mother walked her talk: In 2013, she was incapacitated with pancreatic cancer when I took the bimah for my Bar Mitzvah. We Skyped the entire ceremony to her hospice bedside so she could see my service, so she could see that I was keeping the faith. My mother would pass a month later, but she did so knowing that I continued to hold the line. I transferred to UW-Milwaukee halfway through my freshman year; and on the first Friday after I arrived, I visited Hillel. I was welcomed warmly, with laughter and open arms. I found acquaintances who became friends... who then became my brothers as I joined the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi. I found the chance to be part of a leadership team in our community when I was asked to serve as a student co-chair of the Blue & Gold Community Shabbat. So when someone asks me ‘what does Hillel mean to me?’ I can say that for the first time in my life, I don't hold the line alone.”
