List of 6 items.

• Contributing to her community:

  Abi is on the Board of the United Synagogue Youth (USY) Chapter for Congregation Beth Shalom in Pittsburgh. In her role as Religious and Education Vice President, she helps plan events and programming. “This year, I helped to plan Jews for Justice, my synagogue’s annual social justice event. We talked about Ashkenormativity, which is the tendency for all aspects of Judaism to be thought of as Ashkenazi, or that all Jews are from Eastern Europe or white. The idea of the event was to highlight the many different kinds of lived experiences in Judaism and break down ways we can dismantle that stereotype.”

• How she found her voice at Ellis:

  “I’ve learned how to use my strengths to find my passions and achieve my goals. I’ve learned how to communicate my ideas and express myself at Ellis because I am supported by people who listen. I was always someone who helped other people and didn’t think to help myself, but I realized at Ellis that I can do both.”

• A knack for leadership:

  As Student Council President, Abi leads student initiatives in the Upper School. “After taking on a leadership role with USY, I knew I wanted to join the student council because I love bringing people together. My goal has been to make sure that students feel welcome and comfortable in their spaces and to bring a positive energy to the Upper School.”

• Campus connections:

  Since arriving in ninth grade, Abi has made a conscious effort to try different clubs, sports, and extracurriculars. “I’m on the basketball team, and I have also done field hockey, softball, and track. I’m also a member of the Student Diversity League and the Jewish Student Union. I like to try as many things as I can because I want to take advantage of all the opportunities offered to me.”

• Passion project:

  For Abi’s senior project, she’s partnering with Prevention Point Pittsburgh to raise awareness about substance abuse and help package supplies for kits they distribute. “I’m an advocate for their work because drug use, overdoses, and infections go down with programs like Prevention Point. When I realized the scope of the opioid epidemic, I wanted to get involved and learn how I could help.”

• On her horizon:

  A gap year in Israel. “I’ll be doing a program called Year Course. I really wanted to do a gap year so I could explore a new place and have an experience that would allow me to gain more independence. After my gap year, I’ll be attending college and majoring in social work because I want to work with people and advance my leadership skills.”