Throughout July, we have been casting a spotlight on several college students who are interning in the community. Today, we are pleased to feature, Sasha Vool, who is part of an internship program through Hillel of Buffalo, as well as Raquel Zohar, who is working with the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) through her High Road Fellowship managed by Partnership for Public Good.
Sasha hails from Brooklyn and is a senior at University at Buffalo majoring in biostatistics with minors in mathematics and public health. She is also the president of Impulse Dance Force, a dance club at UB, and has been involved in Hillel for the past 3 years. In reflecting on her Hillel internship with Roswell Park, Sasha writes: “The Hillel internship cohort provided me with a completely unique and invaluable experience. The opportunity to deeply understand the professional work environment of my intended field, as well as develop personal relationships with other interns in similar positions, is unmatched. This internship provided the stepping stones that I needed to advance many aspects of my life.”
Raquel is a rising junior at Cornell University studying Industrial and Labor Relations with minors in Business, Inequality Studies, Jewish Studies, and Law & Society. On campus, Raquel is involved with Sigma Delta Tau, writes for the Undergraduate Law and Society Review, and serves on the Executive Boards of the Roitman Chabad Center and Cornellians for Israel.
Raquel has been working with the JCRC to map out hate crimes in Greater Buffalo, primarily focusing on antisemitism. She is also identifying and assessing local organizations that aim to combat hate within the region. In an upcoming article in the Jewish Journal of Western New York written by Amherst High School rising senior Hannah Gabelnick, we learn that Raquel is originally from Miami, Florida, where she was raised in a modern Orthodox Jewish household and attended Jewish day school. Judaism has always been a large part of her life, especially the social justice value of tikkun olam (repair the world), that inspired Raquel to apply for the High Road Fellowship, an engaged learning and applied research fellowship that pairs Cornell University students with local grassroots organizations in Buffalo.
Thank you Sasha and Raquel, and all of the interns who have been making a difference throughout the community this summer.
