Ricky Ricardo:

Ricky and I first met when he showed up to volunteer at a soup kitchen one Friday morning. I had never seen him before and wasn't quite sure how he found out about the project. The students who had come previously come to volunteer had all found out by attending our monthly Starfish (our tzedek hillel group) meetings or were on my listserve. Maybe he saw a flyer in the student union, I'm still not sure. After coming two weeks in a row to volunteer, I casually mentioned a little about the trip I was leading with American Jewish World Service to El Salvador over Spring Break. Right away he was interested. I invited him to coffee so he could hear more about the trip, he took and application, he applied, I interviewed him.and what happened next is one of the best engagement stories I have to tell. His experiences in El Salvador were I think enlightening and empowering to him. He wrote in the group journal, "I came into this trip with no expectations or notions about what I was about to do. I was slightly nervous, and I was sort of second guessing my decision, but by the end of the trip I realized how much fun I had. I got to see a pueblo in El Salvador, meet people with totally different perspectives on life, and caught a glimpse at what life in El Salvador was like. It was a damn good trip and I'm glad I went with this group."

Since we have returned, Robert has come almost weekly to Shabbat services and dinner. He will be one of the four student Foundation Fellows here at Hillel. He walked into my office before he left for the year and told me how I had "made him Jewish"..but he was smiling as he said those words.

"Shirley" came to our opening meeting for Starfish. She was a freshman who enjoyed community service, and when I first met her seemed reserved and shy. Boy was I wrong! She continued to come to programming at Hillel the first quarter. When a stop opened to become one of my two Tzedek Interns, she applied and took the position. She did a wonderful job recreating a resource room as a clearinghouse for service opportunities for other students. She helped plan our Healthy Start carnival and many other programs. I remember one night in particular. We had a planning meeting for a program. Right after the meeting I had another program, a Jewish Queers Seder. The seder lasted quite a while, and "Bubbles" was still in the building even though our meeting had ended over an hour ago. She said she didn't intend to stay for dinner. She hadn't prepaid for Passover meals, but was just having such a great time talking to people (new friends) in the café that she just stayed. Hillel had become a place to hang out, not only a place to work. She will be continuing on next year as one of the Tzedek Interns.

"New Yorker" came to a Starfish meeting in November. (Once again, I wasn't sure how he found out about it and forgot to ask.) But he picked up a calendar of the community service projects for the quarter and nearly never missed one. He became a regular Tuesday nights making dinner at the Unverferth House for families with ill patients in OSU's Medical Center. The lest quarter of the year seemed to by tough for him. He always looked tired and worn out when I saw him. Often times I would see him sitting on the Hillel couches watching some TV. I think Hillel has become a nice place for him to relax. He came to the end of the year banquet and expressed how much enjoys the projects he helps with and how he'll miss my regular emails and friendly reminders about upcoming projects. I think he will continue to come to programming, but will need to make a connection with the next JCSC being that he doesn't quite yet have a group of friends at Hillel.

This sophomore came with the roommate and best friend to an ice cream night. I remember that she liked pistachio ice cream too, and I definitely thought that was a strong character trait! (Random thought J ) I gave her and her friend a calendar of events and added them to my email list. The next semester Equestrian's roommate and friend was interning in DC. Equestrian began coming to service projects on her own. She volunteered at the soup kitchen and helped run the fun science experiments at the Healthy Start Carnival. She is a sweet and quite girl, but has since opened up a bit and can be found catching dinner in the café or coming to karaoke night. I think the progression from smaller community service projects to larger Hillel events is a great.my next goal would be to get her involved in leadership, but that will be the job of you, the next JCSC!

"Sweetness" had been to a few of my early programs. We had a lot in common and our personalities matched well. When she returned from winter break we talked about how things were going for her so far in her freshman year. She said she wanted to be more involved. She was used to being a leader at school and in her youth group, but hadn't found a way to get involved at Hillel. I reassured her that we would find something perfect for her interests and skills..sure enoughshe will be the new Tzedek Intern in the fall!

"Jeta Driver" was a part-time student at OSU while he finished high school in Columbus. He is a bright guy, will be graduating Valedictorian, and as social as can be! He started coming to Jewish Queers coffee breaks in the Short North (at the gay coffee shop.) He said he had recently come out to his parents and over the course of the year he would tell me more about this challenging time. He has come regularly to JQ events including the Passover Seder, JQ Shabbats, and advisory meetings. He will be attending Ohio State in the fall and will be a great permanent addition!

"Cowgirl":

"Cowgirl" also has family in Texas and we would often exchange stories about life in Texas! She first starting coming to play bingo at the Jewish old age home. She quickly got involved in preparing dinners at the Unverferth House. Because she enjoys cooking (and plans to be a nutrition major!) she really enjoyed being in the kitchen (a special place to find a freshman girl who lives in the dorm.) "Cowgirl" is another story of a student that started coming to volunteer projects and found there way to Hillel at large. She helped start Hillel's very first intramural bowling team and comes to Shabbat almost every Friday. We had a conversation before she left for the summer about leadership possibilities for her next year. She is going to Leaders in PA and is sure to be a great rising leader!