ā€œI was adopted from Texas, and raised in New Jersey. My adoptive parents are my only real parents. Theyā€™re the only parents Iā€™ve ever had, and the only parents Iā€™ve ever known. My mother is a German Jew, and my father is an Italian Catholic. Growing up, I would tell people that my mom was Jewish. Many of them would say, ā€˜But is your ā€˜realā€™ mother Jewish?ā€™ They didnā€™t see my mom as my ā€˜realā€™ mother, so they didnā€™t see me as a ā€˜realā€™ Jew. And that deterred me from exploring my Judaism until I enrolled at Penn State. My mom suggested that I check out the Hillel. As I headed to Hillel for my first-ever Shabbat dinner, my childhood fears about not being ā€˜Jewish enoughā€™ resurfaced. Was I expected to know certain Shabbat traditions? Was I expected to know certain Jewish prayers and songs? But that wasnā€™t the case at all. The students were warm and welcoming. They explained our traditions to me. There was no pressure ā€” no expectations. No one told me how to be Jewish. No one told me I wasnā€™t Jewish. Hillel helped me overcome my fears and embrace my identity. Nowadays, Iā€™m not scared to tell people that Iā€™m adopted and Jewish anymore.ā€ ā€” Dani James, Pennsylvania State University

ā€œMy fiancĆ© Michael and I met in a film class during my junior year of high school and his senior year. Iā€™m Jewish and heā€™s Episcopalian. But I liked him and he liked me, and I thought this could be something great. Turns out it was and still is. We both ended up at Penn State University after high school. Growing up in a strong Jewish community encouraged me to become co-chair of the Student Life Committee at Penn State Hillel and lead Shabbat services every week. And Michael would come with me each Shabbat. The Hillel community wasnā€™t just my campus family ā€” it was our campus family. Hillel accepted and welcomed us as an interfaith couple. And thatā€™s what made it the perfect place for Michael to propose to me at a Shabbat dinner two years ago and the perfect place for our upcoming wedding, which will be officiated by Rob France, the previous assistant director of Penn State Hillel. Over the years, Michael and I have found ways to appreciate and celebrate each otherā€™s traditions. Even though we donā€™t share the same faith, our support of each other has helped us become more open minded and has brought us closer together as a couple.ā€ ā€” Miriam Boulter, Pennsylvania State University ā€™17

ā€œI grew up in an interfaith family. My mom is Catholic, and my dad is Jewish. I spent eight years in Catholic school. My parents have given me the freedom and the education to explore both sides of my faith. Near the beginning of middle school, I was identifying more with my Jewish side than my Catholic side. I remember when my dad took me to the Holocaust museum in Washington, D.C. He said, ā€˜There are so few Jews left in the world, and if you believe in this and you want be part of this, you need to continue our traditions.ā€™ When I came to Penn State, I knew I would have a strong Jewish community here, and I was really excited to be a part of the Jewish community. I didnā€™t really have a big one growing up. I signed up for the winter Birthright Israel trip, the soonest Birthright Israel trip. It was life-changing. I traveled to Israel, and I had my bat mitzvah there. I hope to continue to strengthen my Judaism. Itā€™s not the most common journey, but itā€™s my journey. And Iā€™m really proud of it.ā€ ā€” Morgan Seiff, Pennsylvania State University