Stories from Hillel Professionals: You are the Person Your Students Need
This piece was originally part of a storytelling session at ÌÇÐÄvlogl’s New Professionals Institute. There, four Hillel professionals from across the country told their stories about what brought them to Hillel and how it impacts their lives.
My name is Sofie Ramirez Soto and I am the director of Jewish life at Washington and Lee University.Ìý
I went to Hillel the first time as a student because a friend dragged me there.
And honestly, the free ice cream was an easy sell.
That friend, who is also a Jewish Person of Color or JOC like me, introduced me to the Hillel director at Hofstra Hillel. We had a great conversation, and I kept coming back.
I had been involved in BBYO in high school and led Shabbat services there. It was a really important routine for me, so once I was comfortable in Hillel, I went every week.
When I graduated, I traveled, worked a few odd jobs, and eventually decided I wanted to build a career in nonprofit work. Then ÌÇÐÄvlogl started emailing me about the Springboard Fellowship. I applied, got matched with NYU, and suddenly I was back in a vibrant and welcoming Hillel community.
Then, a few months later, the attacks of October 7th happened.
In the fog of trying to help my students navigate an impossible moment, I remember thinking that I needed to keep my own pain and emotions separate in order to best support my students.
I learned very quickly that compartmentalizing my own grief isn’t necessarily what support looks like. My students were turning to me for space and comfort — there was an Israeli student who needed a place to cry, an Israeli American student grieving friendships she’d lost because of her identity. I needed to be present with them. And the person they needed… was me. As my full self. That year taught me that I didn’t need to hide my own fear or grief to support my students.
That lesson stayed with me as we navigated a challenging campus climate, as I trained our engagement interns to be a support system for their peers, and I prepared for my current role at Washington and Lee.
If I could offer one piece of advice to you, it’s this:
You were hired because of who you are.
You’ll learn new skills. You’ll grow in ways you can’t imagine.
But don’t walk into this work thinking you have to become someone else to do it well.
The person your students need is you.