Hillel Impact Stories

​After graduating from Arizona State in 2006 with a Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy, Ashley knew that Judaism was always going to be an important part of her life. As an out-of-state student, she had walked onto campus four years earlier without a familiar face to turn to, feeling lost, as most first-year college students do. Ashley knows how fortunate she was to have found herself, her Jewish self, during college because of ASU Hillel. She found a home-away-from-home surrounded by the staff and community who cared about her; her success and happiness were important to them as if they were family. Ashley remembers the feeling of gratitude when Rabbi Lee called her personally with an invite to her first Hillel program and later on to celebrate Shabbat. Hillel was fundamental in her Jewish discovery as an individual and her time engaged with Hillel still drives her connection to Judaism. Ashley joined the internship program at Hillel and became part of the daily Jewish life at ASU earning herself the Joan Frazer Memorial Award for Judaism and the Arts. She learned the ins and outs of nonprofits while doing work that brought her joy and allowed her to make a difference in the world every day. Ashley now works at a Jewish day school in Indianapolis, where she lives with her husband and three children. She will always have a special place in her heart for ASU Hillel, and Rabbi Lee, who empowered her to embrace her Judaism in every aspect of her life. She hopes every student at ASU can continue to have such amazing experiences with Hillel where they too can discover their true selves.