Dec. 10, 2008
It has been three years since I arrived at JFK Airport in New York to begin my semester on EIE in August 2005. Unlike others on the program, I did not know any of the twenty-nine other students I would be spending the next four months with. The airport was a rush of excitement, introductions to those who would become more than friends, and goodbyes to our family members.
Seriously researching EIE in June before the departure date, my parents fully supported my decision to participate on the program. They were skeptical, however, about just how much I wanted to take part. Telling me they would let me go if I was accepted to the program, my parents required me to fill out the application, make the appointments, and apply for the financial aid on my own to prove how much I wanted to attend. When I was accepted less than a month later, they were proud that I had completed the application on my own.
Completing the application process, which was similar to the one I would find myself doing two years later applying to colleges, was just one of the many experiences EIE provided which has prepared and shaped me into who I am today. Transitioning to college as a freshman at American University, I was prepared for group living in a dormitory setting. Many of my peers, faced for the first time with the need to balance school work and fun, had a difficult time finding equilibrium. My semester on EIE already gave me skills in time management. At the same time, I was already practiced at keeping in touch with friends, having spent the past year and a half working to keep the relationships made on EIE.
Not only did EIE develop lifelong skills, but it has also provided opportunities and connections post-semester. Through the Alumni e-mails, I realized that Stacy Chassen, the Director of Admissions for NFTY-EIE, had relocated to Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., five Metro stops from my university. Contacting Stacy at the office, I asked if she needed any assistance in the office and I now volunteer there three days a week. Seeing how EIE works from the “inside” has been fascinating and it’s great to assist a program which gave so much to me. I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with EIE.
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