Hello! My
name is Max Marino and I was a JUF 18 under 18 Honoree in 2018. Currently, I am
a sophomore at Tulane University majoring in Political Economy with a minor in
Public Policy in the Murphy Institute.
Since graduating Highland Park High
School in 2019, I have enjoyed taking classes while exploring the city of New
Orleans and becoming an active member of Tulane's student body. On campus, I am
very involved in Hillel as a member of the Tulane Jewish Leader's program and
as a song leader for shabbat services my freshman year. Additionally, I am a
tour guide and orientation leader, a chair for the Tulane High School Model
United Nations conference, and a member of social Greek life.
Professionally, I
have had the honor to serve as a Congressional intern for Congressman Brad
Schneider (IL-10) in his district office over the previous nine months. My main
role in the office was to track the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic and
the vaccination effort in the district. Additionally, I worked on data
management and constituent outreach for the office and advocated for court
reform to the legislative team. I am forever thankful for the opportunity to
have been involved in the Chicagoland Jewish teen community.
The leadership
skills I learned as a fellow and Junior Counselor in the Diller Teen
Fellowship, the advocacy skills I learned in Write On for Israel, and the
professional skills I learned as a Voices Alumni board member I still use today
and have made me successful in my endeavors on and off campus.
Additionally, I
continue to maintain the relationships I made in these programs and have made
lifelong friends through them. I would like to give special thanks to Sam
Rodin, Shiran Posner, Stephanie Goldfarb, and Hallie Shapiro for being
invaluable role models during my high school career.
My advice for high
schoolers today would be to take advantage of the many amazing programs that
JUF and Springboard have to offer. I can confidently say that I would not be
the person I am without the experiences I had through these programs.
Congratulations to the 2021 JUF 18 under 18 Honorees and I look forward to
seeing the amazing work you all will continue to do!