40 | FEBRUARY 17 • 2022 

B

eing a student is a full-
time job, no matter the 
university you attend. 
Finding time for extracurricular 
activities can be challenging 
with the amount of schoolwork 
that needs to be done. Yet, stu-
dents feel that if they want to get 
ahead in school or in life, they 
must find the extra time to join 
this club or that club. There are 
additional challenges that stu-
dents face along the way. Many 
clubs on campus are extremely 
competitive. Olivia Yates, a soph-
omore from Metro Detroit, said, 
“Most professional law organiza-
tions at University of Michigan 
are super selective.
” Many stu-
dents were finding themselves 
on the outside looking in when it 
came to getting into those clubs. 
So, what does one do?
Olivia teamed up with some of 
her other pre-law friends, Nicole 
Golenberg, a sophomore from 
Los Angeles, and Eve Wasvary, a 
sophomore from Metro Detroit, 
and they reached out to the 
University of Michigan Hillel. 
“When one thinks about Hillel 
on campus, you think about 
Shabbat and High Holidays and 
Birthright Israel. You don’t think 
of a pre-law club or engineering 
club,
” says Nicole. 
But when you stop to see all 

the different groups and oppor-
tunities at Hillel, you realize 
there is something for every-
body. Not only does Hillel have 
MedX, a Jewish pre-med group, 
and JEngA, a Jewish engineer-
ing group, they have groups for 
students interested in sustain-
ability, philanthropy, sports and 
so much more. Hillel 
even has their own 
A Capella group 
and club hockey 
team. 
With that 
in mind, the 
three students 
met with staff at 
Michigan Hillel 
and came up with a 
plan. They were going 
to start their own Jewish pre-law 
club. “Hillel has served as a place 
where we all immediately felt 
the sense of community we had 
been looking for, and we know it 
would serve as the perfect back-
bone for our club,
” said Eve.
To create a club at Michigan 
Hillel, the group must present 
their club’s mission and goals 
to the Hillel Governing Board 
composed of six undergrad offi-
cers, three grad members and 
four community members. The 
board must approve the group 
with a simple majority vote. 

Oliva, Nicole and Eve wasted 
no time working alongside staff 
at Michigan Hillel to develop 
a rock-solid presentation. The 
students created their mission 
statement: “Our mission is to 
cultivate a space for members of 
the Jewish community to learn, 
grow and enhance their knowl-
edge in the field of law 
and public policy. We 
want to foster pro-
fessional develop-
ment, embody 
Jewish values, 
facilitate inter-
personal connec-
tions and estab-
lish leadership 
opportunities.
” Their 
presentation blew away 
the Governing Board. Their 
club, Jewish Pre-Law Association 
(JPLA) was approved unani-
mously. 
Now the hard work was about 
to start. How do they grow 
their membership? What types 
of events should they consid-
er? Guided by Michigan Hillel 
staff, the club planned interest 
meetings, created a logo and put 
together a leadership structure. 
To their amazement, more than 
85 students showed interest. 
Olivia was shocked, “We knew 
there were other students out 

there like us, but never imagined 
there were so many.
” With a 
bona fide club, they started plan-
ning events to achieve their mis-
sion and goals. They also hosted 
information sessions to share 
more about their organization 
and hear from students what 
they were interested in getting 
out of this group. 
For their first major event, 
they collaborated with the Jewish 
Law Student Association (JLSA), 
which is composed of University 
of Michigan Law students. JPLA 
invited law students from JLSA 
to speak on a Law Student Panel 
to undergrads about their expe-
rience applying to law school 
and now as students. The event 
was a great success. More than 
40 students showed up to nosh, 
connect and learn. 
Moving forward, the JPLA 
students continue to plan events 
and feel grateful to have found a 
home at Hillel. “We found it dif-
ficult to get involved on campus 
with other law groups and find 
our place on campus. Thankfully 
our Hillel was able to create the 
space needed to help our idea 
thrive,
” shared Olivia. @

If you are interested in learning more 

about this club or any other Michigan 

Hillel club, please reach out to 

michiganhillel@umich.edu. 

Finding Our Place at Hillel

SEAN MORGAN ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, U-M HILLEL

ability, philanthropy, sports and 
so much more. Hillel 
even has their own 
A Capella group 
and club hockey 

met with staff at 
Michigan Hillel 
and came up with a 
plan. They were going 

grow and enhance their knowl-

edge in the field of law 

and public policy. We 

want to foster pro-

fessional develop-
ment, embody 
Jewish values, 
facilitate inter-
personal connec-
tions and estab-
lish leadership 

opportunities.
” Their 

presentation blew away 

Olivia Yates, Nicole Golenberg, Eve Wasvery
Top: Eve Wasvery, Nicole Golenberg, Olivia Yates. Bottom: Jacob Hankin, 
Henry Altman, Jacob Abudaram, Casey Wright.

for college students 
by college students

