I am done my Junior year college, wow that sounds weird to say; I remember my first day of college and even my first day of high school and that feels like yesterday but now I may only have 1 year left of formal education. Looking back at my junior year at Towson University there have been many high points and even some low points sometimes highs and lows occured within hours of each other (Fall semester/Winter Break now and Spring Semester/conclusion later today).
The year began with a lot of unanswered questions and new situations. From having an apartment to being an upperclassmen to being Vice President of Hillel when I did not trust most of the other executive board members including the President. Not to mention truly getting into my major, so in order to handle all this I only took 12 credits in the fall. In addition I made a promise to myself that I would give 100% of myself to everything I do everyday (class, Hillel, and AEPI) while being respectful of everyone else and true to myself.
The year was going well as I started to notice that I was opening up more and creating friendships with new people and strengthening old friendships. Along with that I got a 2nd little in AEPI and am so thankful I did, he (Eric Blum) is an amazing person and brother. All the while I was maintaining my high academic performance and demonstrating my excellent leadership skills in Hillel, which earned me the respect of many of my peers.
One of the best aspects of first semester for me was participating in a class taught by a local Rabbi where we spent a shabbat at his house during the semester. This class allowed me to learn a lot about myself, my religion while meeting some awesome new people and becoming closer to my classmates I already knew. Spending shabbat at his houe gave me a new perspective on Judaism and how tied to technology I was because during this day we went to an ultra orthodox shul multiple times and couldn't use technology (the amazing food was just a bonus).
Unfortunatly a few rough patches were ahead as the tension between me and other Hillel Executive board members was starting to boil over and hurting our effectiveness. While I knew I was doing all I could do to make Hillel as strong possible and had the support of family, friends, role models and former Hillel leaders (who called me the true leader of Hillel) it was still tough. Then I experienced a loss in my family which put things in perspective. Unfortunatly me and my roommate/friend Sam were dealing with the biggest douchebag I have ever met as a roommate who was completly inconsiderate and disrespectful.
Then came one of the most interesting weeks of the year (late october-early november) which began with Hillel's Bar Mitzvah where I met and reconnected with people from Hillel's past and saw how much the organization meant to them. It was also at this event where I got to hear from people who at the time I didn't consider my friends that they saw what I saw (I was doing an amazing job despite the difficult situation I was in with a bad e-board) this inspired me to run for President in the spring. This also led to me openly bashing my fellow e-board members and getting me in trouble with the staff before the biggest event of the semester. From then on I focused on only what I could do but was not afraid to express my opinions of others if asked.
While this was going on AEPI was going through a interesting semester we started with 7 pledges but only 4 of them became brothers. Furthermore cliques were forming and sometimes took precedent over the fraternity. All of this took a back seat when we threw a 400 person party sponsored by AMP our most successful event and philanthropy ever, it was one of my proudest member as a brother just 2 years after we started.
Fortunatly the semester closed on a high as I maintained my high GPA, was able to move out of my room and along with Sam move in with another friend, realized that despite being just Vice President I was seen by most as the true leader of Hillel and was acting like it, and I was making new friends, strengthening old bonds, and making my family proud. On top of that, despite being told I had no shot of going, I got on a winter break trip to Amsterdam through Hillel.
Along with that during Winter Break I volunteered at an after school program further confirming that I want to work with kids. In addition I started the application process for summer internships. The best part of break was going on a trip to Amsterdam with Hillel (where I was the only single guy). From meeting so many nice dutch people to seeing sights like the Anne Frank House and Heineken brewery to sleeping in a lobby with cats to getting closer to peers on the trip it was an amazing experience (Full reflection can be seen in my blog post- Amsterdam/Ravens Review Part 1). I was really looking forward to an awesome spring semester.
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