Meyers-Stern scholarship
The Meyers Stern Scholarship is a new merit-based scholarship to be awarded to a student studying Judaic Studies in Israel or other approved location. Two Religious Studies majors were recently awarded the scholarship.
Jeremy Elkayam
My time in Jerusalem was incredible. Working at a small startup was completely different from previous jobs I've had in my field; I was allowed a level of freedom that I hadn't previously gotten, and I enjoyed being able to work independently on a project that I could finish on my own and be proud of. Every day after going to my internship, I would go visit someplace I hadn't been before. Among the places I visited in Jerusalem were the Israel Museum, Menachem Begin center, Biblical Zoo, Temple Mount, Hurva Synagogue, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and many others. With the extra money I got from the Meyers-Stern scholarship, I was able to travel all around Israel. Over the two months I was there, I stayed with many members of my family, traveled to see the Beit Hatfutsot and Eretz Yisrael museums, and was even able to visited my grandfather's hometown on the Galilee.
Sara Franklin-Gillette
Thanks to the generosity of the Myers-Stern Scholarship, I studied abroad in Israel at the University of Haifa in the spring of 2018. This experience was of immense value to me both academically and personally. In the Haifa International School psychology track program, I worked in a neuroscience lab that studies social emotions and group behavior in context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and took a class focused on the mental health of refugees.
The opportunity to study psychology in a different culture brings depth to my major, which I intend to pursue in graduate school. In addition to this, I studied Hebrew, both in the pre-semester intensive language course, and throughout the semester. Throughout the five months I lived in Haifa, I had countless opportunities to explore the country and the many cultures it is home to. I celebrated Jewish holidays with my Israeli family, learned some Arabic from friends I made in the university dorms, and had thought-provoking conversations with many strangers I encountered while lost in various cities. I am grateful to the Myers-Stern Scholarship for making this opportunity possible for me.
