When I began college, I didn’t consider being Jewish to be a particularly significant part of my identity. Having grown up with a perception of Judaism as little more than a set of compulsory activities, I was not especially inclined to spend any meaningful amount of time or emotional energy engaging with Judaism in college. But midway through my freshman year at the University of Chicago (U of C), after receiving an invitation to a Shabbat dinner, I finally decided to visit at U of C.s Newberger Hillel Center for the first time.

Almost immediately, I felt a sense of comfort and familiarity wash over me. These were my people. This was my home away from home. And I was there of my own volition. Gone were the days of my parents dragging me to Hebrew School. I had voluntarily taken it upon myself to venture into a decidedly Jewish community, and I was thrilled with what awaited me.

A couple of my friends, unbeknownst to me at the time, were Hillel Campus Engagement interns. They tactfully-yet organically-pulled me into the community through various mechanisms, including coffee meetings, movie nights, and more Shabbat dinners. By the end of my freshman year, I had made dozens of close friends through Hillel, and I had subconsciously begun to embrace my Jewish identity along the way. When I was presented with the opportunity to become a Hillel Campus Engagement Intern-to give back to the community for which I had grown to care so much-I was delighted to step up.

The Campus Engagement Intern position at Newberger Hillel is a multifaceted position, to say the least. In addition to being contractually obligated to “engage” several prospective Jewish students every week and record all interactions in an online database, interns are required to attend a two hour weekly meeting, in which Rabbi Anna Levin Rosen skillfully walks a fine line between imparting Jewish education and exploring engagement strategy. The Jewish education strengthens my affection and appreciation for a Jewish organization and gives me confidence in my ability to appropriately act as an agent for such an organization, both of which help me more effectively engage prospective members of the Hillel community.

As interns, we are encouraged to tap into the campus communities to which we already belong. I consistently bring students into Hillel with whom I am already acquainted through my social fraternity, tennis team, and wind ensemble. Both formal and informal events in these communities contribute to the engagement process; whether I am leading a Seder on my dorm floor or watching football and discussing Birthright with several Jewish fraternity brothers, I am cultivating an environment that advances Jewish culture on the University of Chicago campus. In doing so, I am making it that much more likely that the recruited students will attend the next Hillel event to which I invite them. As I gradually build and expand my network of Jewish engagees, I often find it effective to introduce them to one another, which further strengthens the Jewish community on my campus.

My ultimate motivation for the work I do as a Hillel Campus Engagement Intern lies in my desire to provide the same incredible Jewish experience Newberger has offered me to as many of my fellow students as possible. In just over a year, I’ve gone from uneasiness surrounding my Jewish identity to counting down the days until Birthright. The least I can do is to serve as a guiding force to help other students start their journey to a similar transformation.

The Newberger Hillel at the University of Chicago is a division of The Hillels of Illinois, a partner in serving our community, supported by the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.

Michael Weller, originally from Wilmette, is a sophomore undergraduate at the University of Chicago majoring in Economics. He is active in the University of Chicago’s Hillel as a Campus Engagement Intern, and he plans to travel with Hillel to Israel through Taglit-Birthright this summer.