Hillel International Scholarships

Updates

Defying the Odds, Reaching New Heights, and Honoring Those Who Came Before Me

Author

Melissa Simplicio

Date

July 24, 2025

Melissa is a 2025 recipient of the Sandy and Jack Cohen Scholarship through Hillel International. She is a rising second-year student at New York University, studying computer science and economics.

My journey to NYU and becoming a Hillel International scholarship recipient has been anything but linear. I was born and raised in the northern district of Rio de Janeiro – an area often overlooked and underserved, where young lives are too frequently shaped by violence. Statistically, my path should have been no different. But with the support and strength of my parents and grandparents, I have always believed that education could be my passport to a different future.

From solving English-language puzzles together to rearranging Hebrew word magnets on our fridge, my family instilled in me a sense of curiosity that reached far beyond our neighborhood. They helped shape me into a global citizen and gave me the courage to dream of something bigger, like learning multiple languages, studying in the U.S, and building a life filled with possibility.

I also grew up with the stories of my great-grandparents, Jewish immigrants who arrived in Brazil with fake passports and assimilated into Brazilian society in order to escape World War II. My grandparents, in turn, had to work from a young age to help support their families, prioritizing survival over education for themselves, but passing the value of education to my father. My father, a Jewish artist, kitchen chef, and polyglot, became my mentor in all things: Torah, fantasy books, French memory games, and paintings on my magenta-pink walls. And when he died of a heart attack 15 years ago, he took a piece of me with him.

Amid shiva condolences and grief,  I committed to the longstanding Jewish tradition of learning the Torah, in my dad’s honor. Judaism and the connection I built to God comforted me with the reminder that I am here because of my dad,  and anything positive I do in the world after his passing is also his success.

Now, my father’s legacy lives not only in my memories but in the values he instilled in me: devotion to Judaism, creativity, kindness, and fearlessness. 

I plan to honor his legacy and that of my family through my education. Higher education will equip me with the expertise, research opportunities, and tools to drive change in equitable healthcare. After graduation, my goal is to become a health-tech leader, developing computational models that improve patient outcomes for people of color, women, and transgender individuals. After seeing so many people in my community growing up suffer from a lack of adequate access to health care, I am determined to explore solutions that directly address the needs of my communities, always grounded in the belief of kol yisrael arevim zeh bazeh — all of Israel (all of humanity) is responsible for one another.

Becoming a Hillel International Scholarship recipient has opened the door to so many possibilities. During my first year of college, I balanced rigorous academic coursework with leadership roles in student organizations and part-time jobs to support myself. This scholarship allows me to enter my second year with the freedom to prioritize learning, leadership, and professional development without the constant pressure of juggling academics and work. It means I can invest my energy where it matters most.

The sacrifices of those before me made it possible for me to be here today, and I do not take that for granted. By embracing the opportunities they never had, I ensure that their sacrifices were not in vain. I will carry their legacy forward by using my education to uplift others, knowing that every step I take is one they would have taken if only they had been given the chance. It’s a privilege — and a gift.

Learn more about Hillel International scholarships and see the full list of 2025 recipients.

The post Defying the Odds, Reaching New Heights, and Honoring Those Who Came Before Me appeared first on Hillel International.

News

The Art of Jewish Expression

Author

Eitan Gutenmacher

Date

February 8, 2024

For as long as Judaism has existed, Jews have created art as a way of expressing and engaging with religious life and tradition. 

While I grew  up in a modern Orthodox community, a big part of my adult life has been forming friendships in a variety of Jewish spaces, exploring the diversity of the Jewish community. Becoming a student at NYU and connecting with my campus Hillel at New York University (NYU) showed me that the entire Jewish world can be in one building, and be respectful of each other despite — and even because of — our differences.

During a trip back to Yeshivat Orayta in Jerusalem, the school where I had spent my gap year, I found myself constantly thinking about the diversity of the Jewish community in Israel, and the diverse ways that Judaism and Jewish identity is expressed there. When I’m in New York, I have found it difficult to create the exact image of the Jewish community that I am seeking.

When I asked myself what I was missing, and what I needed to bring back with me, Havurah was born.

Havurah is a community of Jewish creatives who see art as a mechanism for engaging with the Divine and as a crucial part of Jewish spiritual practice. Havurah is about seeing Judaism as a creative experience in and of itself, as a medium and form of expression.

Judaism has always guided my art. I see my work as engaging with an intergenerational conversation, touching on something ancient even as I use modern digital design tools and technology. Intentionally building the Havurah community has opened ways for me to explore Judaism in art and in my life in ways I had never imagined before. Just like studying Talmud is an active conversation about Jewish tradition and identity, creating Jewish art is engaging in that same conversation — just through a different medium. 

Since October 7, I’ve thought more and more about what our Jewish community looks like, and who it serves. Our communal response to that tragic day has shown the need for Jewish communities that are designed to sustain themselves, to keep themselves going even when times are hard. I believe that artistic expression is key to our Jewish future, and key to helping our communities thrive.

Any art form can be Jewish, and any Jewish expression can become art. What will you create?

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News

Welcome to Hillel: The Ramirez Sisters Head Back to School

Author

Hillel International

Date

August 30, 2023

Roll Call:

College students across the country are headed back to school. At the University of Central Florida (UCF) and at New York University (NYU), two sisters are kicking off the school year as brand new Hillel staff members. Melina Ramirez, Engagement Manager at UCF Hillel, and Sofie Ramirez, Springboard Innovation Fellow at NYU Hillel, are excited to welcome students back to campus and to continue their own Hillel journeys. 

Growing up in a small Jewish community on Long Island, Sofie and Melina were both deeply involved in their childhood synagogue, as well as BBYO. 

When Melina started school at Florida Southern College, a school with a very small Jewish population, it was a new experience for her to be one of the only Jewish people that most of her classmates had ever met. She quickly became involved in the tight-knit Hillel community, and after graduation, decided that connecting with a larger, vibrant Jewish community, like the one she grew up with and the one she found on her gap year in Israel, was a priority for her career and life choices. After working for BBYO and her local JCC, she found her way back to Hillel where she is starting her first year as a Hillel professional. 

Sofie’s journey also took her to Hillel as a student at Hofstra University on Long Island. Hofstra Hillel became an important part of her college experience as she volunteered as a student leader and worked closely with the Hillel rabbi on campus. After taking some time off following graduation to visit her family in Puerto Rico, Sofie is excited to share her love for Hillel with students at NYU as a Springboard Innovation Fellow.

Welcome to Hillel!

As first-year students move onto campus and begin exploring their new schools and communities, Hillel staff and student leaders are there to welcome them. 

NYU Hillel’s Welcome Week kicked off this past weekend with a brunch that brought together first-year students and their families in the Hillel building. For the next two weeks, Hillel staff will be available to help students move into their dorms, connect with new friends, and chat over coffee. Different types of programs will be available to students depending on their interests. Sofie will run a one-day color war for student athletes that will include team-building exercises as well as classic games like wheelbarrow races and ring toss. She believes that offering space and programming to students with a wide variety of interests and backgrounds is essential to helping first-year students start to feel at home on campus and at Hillel.

At the University of Central Florida, students started arriving on campus in mid-August. UCF Hillel hosted FreshFest, an early move-in opportunity for Jewish students paired with programming and a chance to meet other first-year students before classes began. Twenty first-year students, along with third- and fourth-year student leaders and Hillel staff members had a splash at the nearby Aquatica Water Park. Following two days of getting to know each other, the FreshFest students attended the first Shabbat dinner of the semester with 80 other students from across the university. 

Melina reflected that in addition to FreshFest, her favorite part of welcoming new students was driving around campus to pick students up and bring them to the Hillel building for coffee chats, activities, and hang-out time. She’s excited for the energy of this first week to carry through the rest of the year. 

Wishes for the New Year:

The first weeks of the new school year often lead right into Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Reflecting on the upcoming academic and Jewish year, Melina and Sofie each have dreams they’re hoping to accomplish with their students. 

Melina said, “As students come out of a very isolated experience with the Covid-19 pandemic, we want to make sure there is a warm and welcoming environment waiting for them at Hillel. A big part of that is making sure that each student has a space where they can feel comfortable. As a Jewish Latina, building a space for Jews of color to share their experiences and their voices is so important to me.” 

Sofie added, “Creating an affinity space for Jews of color at NYU means that there will be a unique space for every Jewish student to speak up. I’m excited to run a Yom Kippur program about forgiveness and processing emotions around difficult interactions—I’m looking forward to broadening this space for Jewish students of color.”

As sisters, Melina and Sofie are also looking forward to connecting with each other through their Hillel work and to growing strong, vibrant communities at UCF and NYU.

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