Meet Our Inaugural Scholars

Eithan Ackerman is a student at the University of Florida studying Philosophy, Politics, Economics, & Law. He graduated from Thales Academy in Apex, North Carolina, where he served as the Student Body President, captain of the Debate Team, Model U.N. Board member, and founder of the Philosophy Club. He also served as the Vice President of the North Carolina Junior Classical League and national champion in Latin recitation and English oratory. Eithan has volunteered to campaign with pro-Israel political candidates and coach youth hockey with the Carolina Hurricanes. His original Passover flag design flew at Rockefeller Center as part of the 2023 Flag Project. He is also a current member of the 1890 Honors Society with the Calvin Coolidge Foundation after winning the Coolidge Cup national championship in Declamation. At U.F., Eithan serves as the Ethics Chair of Students for New Urbanism, Executive Board member of Society for Jewish Thought, and a staff writer for the Florida Finibus.

Elizabeth Amara is from Miami, Florida. She served as a Grassroots Coordinator for Ron DeSantis’ gubernatorial campaign and later worked on the Trump campaign through voter outreach, canvassing, and community engagement efforts across South Florida. She is the founder and three-year president of the Turning Point USA Aventura Chapter, where she organized civic engagement events and interfaith discussions focused on political dialogue and voter literacy. Elizabeth has completed leadership fellowships through the Tikvah Scholars Program, Leadership Institute, Solomon Leadership Program, and the Simon Wiesenthal Center. She also serves as an intern with AllSides, contributing to media and political research. Elizabeth is also bilingual in Spanish and Portuguese.

Jude Berg is a student at the University of Florida pursuing a dual degree in Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law and Business Administration. He graduated last spring from Ingraham High School in Seattle, Washington, where he earned his International Baccalaureate Diploma. During high school, Jude was a dedicated rower at Pocock Youth Rowing, serving as a team steward and competing at the 2024 Youth National Championships in Sarasota. He was also a counselor at Camp JCA Shalom, a longtime participant in United Synagogue Youth, and the founding president of his school’s pickleball club. At the University of Florida, Jude is a member of the 2026 Student Government Freshman Leadership Experience (FLEX) cohort, a selective group of fifty students chosen for their leadership and promise. He is also involved with the Society of Jewish Thought, Students Supporting Israel, and the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. In addition, Jude continues to deepen his Jewish learning through Hillel International’s Leadership on Campus and Jewish Learning Fellowships. Jude currently interns with Seattle-based Israeli startup Maximal Learning, where he is helping improve Wick, an artificial intelligence agent designed to help students manage their time more effectively. He is passionate about reviving civil discourse, deepening his understanding of Judaism, and studying the Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman roots of Western civilization.

Ayla Blumberg graduated from Akiba Yavneh Academy of Dallas, Texas, where she graduated second in her class, earned the AP Scholar with Distinction designation, and was in the National STEM Honor Society. At Yavneh, she served on the Student Activities Board, organizing Judaic programming and fundraising, and through the Jewish Community Relations Council, led presentations on Judaism in public schools to combat anti-semitism and facilitate interfaith dialogue. As a Board Member of Points for Peace, she helped co-raise $50,000 through a community-wide basketball tournament for anti-terrorism advocacy. She also served as President of the Math Club and as a STEM teachers’ assistant throughout high school. Ayla is a published author, certified yoga instructor, and recently passed the real estate licensing exam. She is passionate about Jewish life, leadership, and the intersection of ancient wisdom and emerging technologies. Ayla plans to major in Civics Honors with a second major in Business Management.

Sally Brown is a Rosenthal-Levy Scholar at the University of Florida, where she studies Political Science and Politics, Philosophy, Economics, and Law (PPEL), with a minor in Russian. Her research focuses on the rise of illiberal democracy, the dissemination of propaganda in Eastern Europe, and the enduring national security challenges posed by Russia. She has conducted archival research at the Hoover Institute on the topics of Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism in the Soviet Union. She will be presenting research on the various responses to Thomas Paine’s “Age of Reason”. A Reagan National Defense Fellow and a three-time Foreign Languages and Area Studies for Russian Fellow, she completed the intensive Russian immersion program at Middlebury Language Schools and pursued advanced Russian study in Tbilisi, Georgia. She has also served as a researcher on a White House cyber task force in partnership with Girl Security. At the University of Florida, Ms. Brown is the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Florida Finibus, a student-led publication dedicated to advancing the American intellectual tradition through scholarship on foreign affairs and U.S. politics. She intends to further refine her expertise through working in Washington, D.C., and abroad before pursuing doctoral research in War Studies. As a Rosenthal-Levy Scholar, Ms. Brown looks forward to engaging with distinguished experts in Jewish Classical Studies and learning from fellow scholars.

Ronnier Canizares graduated Summa Cum Laude from Hialeah Gardens Senior High School in Florida. Throughout high school, he was a Witness for the Varsity Mock Trial Team, Captain of the Moot Court Team, and President of the Christian Bible Club. Ronnier is the Founder of the Future Civic Leaders Initiative, which has mentored hundreds of students in civics, law, and history. Ronnier has also worked as a file clerk at a family law firm and as a government finance intern for the City of Hialeah. At the University of Florida, Ronnier is majoring in Politics, Philosophy, Economics, and Law and plans to declare Philosophy as a second major. He is currently conducting research on the intersection between economics and history with UF Economist, Dr. Mitchell Harvey. Ronnier also serves as an Assistant Director for Interfaith Affairs for the UF Student Government and as a U.S. Foreign Policy Writer for the Florida Finibus Publication. Ronnier is currently a Humanities at Hertog Fellow, where he is carefully studying Dante’s Divine Comedy with a small cohort of students and professors. He will spend the Summer in Washington, D.C., studying American history and Western philosophy as a Political Studies Fellow through the Hertog Foundation. Throughout college, Ronnier plans to continue the careful study of the Western philosophical tradition, U.S.–Israel relations, and Jewish-Christian inter-religious dialogue.

Gavriella Cohen is a student at the University of Florida, majoring in Great Books & Ideas, with a minor in Jewish Studies. She is from White Plains, NY, and attended SAR High School. She is currently the Vice President of the Society for Jewish Thought and is on the Editorial Board of the Florida Finibus, a student-led publication focused on reviving the American intellectual tradition within campus discourse. She is also currently a member of the Hamilton College for Classical and Civic Education’s Society of Fellows. She previously interned at the Hudson Institute’s Center on Europe and Eurasia and served as co-Editor-in-Chief of the Solomon Journal, a national student magazine focused on Jewish ideas, history, and culture from 2022-23. She was a 2024-25 Samuel “Bud” Shorstein Writing Awardee.

Sabrina Colacicchi graduated as Salutatorian of The Adelson School in Las Vegas. Born in Luxembourg, she later moved to the United States in 2016. She was awarded honors in the National Mock trial Competition, was a state finalist in DECA, and held numerous leadership roles with StandWithUs, NCSY and her high school. During her freshman year at the University of Florida, Sabrina served as Pledge Class President of the Alpha Phi Omega Tau Chapter service club, worked as secretary for the Society of Jewish Thought club, and continues helping develop the Rosenthal-Levy Social Media presence and participating in UF Hillel’s LOC Leadership Program, and more.

Sari D’Agostino is a student at the University of Florida studying Great Books and Ideas and Statistics. She graduated from Midtown High School in Atlanta, Georgia, where she received the AP Capstone Diploma, the Georgia Department of Education’s Seal of Biliteracy in Latin, and national awards though the National Junior Classical League. Sari was an active member of Congregation Shearith Israel’s United Synagogue Youth chapter and taught the pre-school Sunday Hebrew school class. Sari works as a counselor at Camp Barney Medintz during the summer. Sari is an active member of the Society for Jewish Thought at the University of Florida and enjoys going to baseball and softball games.

Robert (Robbie) Eskenazi is a Rosenthal-Levy Scholar at the University of Florida pursuing dual degrees in Finance and PPEL (Politics, Philosophy, Economics & Law). A transformative summer in Poland and Israel sparked his commitment to Jewish life; he returned to public high school wearing a kippah and tzitzit, co-founded the Jewish Alliance Club, and became President of Model Congress. At UF, Robbie combines intellectual study with practical engagement: he serves on the Executive Board for Students Supporting Israel, analyzes Israeli startups as a TAMID Group consultant, and conducts econometric research on historical monetary systems with Dr. Harvey at the Hamilton School. Self-taught in Hebrew, Robbie volunteers with Friendship Circle supporting individuals with special needs. He hopes to contribute to Jewish flourishing by bridging finance, political economy, and civic leadership.

Abhimanyu has built an unusually wide record: a Coca-Cola Scholars Semifinalist and three-time state champion, he has competed and won recognition at the national level in writing, journalism, and policy while pursuing parallel work in health technology research and Hindu civic advocacy. He is a published and forthcoming author, investigative correspondent, clinical research coauthor, health-informatics researcher with a prestigious university, founder of a clinical communication venture, national Hindu youth leader, city-appointed community advisor, classical dance instructor, 3rd-degree black belt, international tutor, and fundraiser who has raised over $20,000 for charity. He is the National High School President of the Hindu Students Council, where he created a Hindu-Jewish interfaith dialogue program, demonstrating a sustained and intellectually serious engagement with Hindu-Jewish civilizational solidarity. He plans to major in War, Strategy, and Statesmanship at the Hamilton School, ultimately pursuing medicine, law, and public leadership in service of vulnerable communities.

Noam Hansel graduated with highest honors from Lycée Lucien de Hirsch in Paris, France. He co-founded the school newspaper and was selected to represent his school at the Concours Général des Lycées – France’s most prestigious national academic competition – in philosophy, mathematics, and English. An alumnus of the Tikvah Scholars Program, Noam took a gap year to deepen his Jewish studies at Yad Yeshiva and joined PUMS, France’s first health media channel affiliated with Université Paris Cité, where he worked with scientific experts to make complex health topics accessible to the public. Self-taught in English and currently studying Levantine Arabic, Noam is drawn to the ongoing conversation between Jewish tradition and Western civilization. He plans to major in PPEL with a second major in Finance.

AJ is an Englewood, New Jersey native from Yeshivat Frisch who was admitted to UF in the 2025 application cycle but deferred to complete a gap year of learning and working in Israel with Torah Tech. He is an alumnus of the Tikvah Scholars Program and the Tikvah Solomon Fellowship, as well as the Wharton Global Youth Program. His extracurricular record is exceptional: a three-time National Yeshiva Wrestling champion, the first junior in Frisch history to be named varsity captain, and a fundraiser of $27,000 for his team’s equipment and coaching. He is simultaneously captain of the debate team, president of the Frisch Choir, and interned at a fragrance R&D lab in Istanbul after teaching himself Turkish. His admires Rabbi Israel Meir Lau and writes movingly about his memoir Out of the Depths. At UF, he plans to major in War, Strategy, and Statesmanship with a second major in Business.

Zachary Ingham graduated from Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas, Texas, where he served as editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, the Jesuit Roundup, authoring 22 articles on topics ranging from the war in Ukraine to U.S. domestic politics to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He was elected Hunt County Commissioner at Texas Boys State, participated in the Dallas NextGen Roundtable policy summit, and volunteered at the Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas food pantry. As the only practicing Jew at a Catholic school, Zachary developed a distinctive vantage point on Jewish identity and the Western tradition.

Asher Kaynan is a student at the University of Florida, originally from Queens, New York. His interests span aerospace technology, national defense, foreign policy, and Judaic philosophy. As a freshman, Asher served as an AFROTC cadet in Detachment 150, where he earned the October 2025 BC Cadet of the Month award, the You Can Fly scholarship for flight training, joined Arnold Air Society, and works to strengthen ties between the Hamilton School and UF’s ROTC programs. He is an active member of UF’s rocket team, the Alexander Hamilton Society, where he engages questions of foreign policy, grand strategy, and defense, and serves on the engineering team of the Ukraine Rebuilding Initiative. Asher also serves as the Outreach Director for the Society for Jewish Thought and founded the Everyday Ice Cream Club, where he hopes to build a fitness and healthy lifestyle centered community, continuing the spirit of the Men’s Fitness Club he founded in High School to promote physical, mental, and spiritual strength among young Jewish Men. He hopes to pursue dual degrees in Aerospace Engineering and War, Statecraft, and Strategy, serve as an Air Force officer, and eventually work in national security or diplomacy.

Bredon Kinnard is an incoming University of Florida student from Aurora, Illinois. A homeschooled student from the beginning through twelfth grade, Bredon’s educational journey has been marked by a developing fascination and appreciation of the ideals of Western society and American civic life. His curriculum emphasized history, literature, and theology, supplemented by the Veritas Scholars Academy; his senior-year coursework includes Calculus, Rhetoric, Medieval and Renaissance History, and German. Bredon was also co-captain of his regional homeschool varsity soccer club and is active in his local church and youth group. He is an accomplished pianist, having studied piano since second grade, and has used this skill in service to his church. Bredon is passionate about reviving historical literacy, modeling healthy political and cultural discourse, and restoring the principles of classical and civic education. He plans to major in PPEL at the Hamilton School at UF.

Zachary (Zack) Levy is a graduate of The Abraham Joshua Heschel School and an incoming freshman at the University of Texas at Austin, where he plans to study Civics Honors in the School of Civic Leadership and Plan II Honors in the College of Liberal Arts. At Heschel, he served as Student Government Vice President and was President of both the Interfaith Club and Sports Analytics Club. He captained both the varsity ultimate frisbee and soccer teams and competed in the NFL Flag Football Championships. He also taught at Sutton Place Synagogue Religious School and received the President’s Volunteer Service Award for his commitment to community engagement. His civic record includes the ADL Bridge Building program, the AJC Leaders for Tomorrow program – through which he took a Capitol Hill lobbying trip against antisemitism – the Scholas Occurrentes Interfaith Communities in Motion Conference, and a Vatican-sponsored interfaith conference. He received the Fred W. Stimler Golden Eagle Award, given to two athletes out of 6,000 in the Yorkville Youth Athletic Association for exceptional leadership on and off the field.

Grant Mandel graduated from Culver Military Academy, where he rose to Regimental Operations Sergeant Major (overseeing inspections for 550 cadets) and Bravo Black Horse Troop Unit Commander (commanding 43 cadets), served as class president, and chaired the Honor Council. A natural leader, Grant also led the American Lens Club to foster civil discourse, and headed his school’s Jewish Culture Club and Jewish Shabbat service. He completed the Georgetown Summer Scholars Program and has worked as a junior analyst at his family office. Originally from Boca Raton, Florida, Grant will study PPEL at the Hamilton School, where he hopes to deepen his understanding of western civilization and pursue a career in conservative politics, dedicating his life to America.

Josie Mandrea is a student at the University of Texas at Austin studying Civics Honors while pursuing certificates in Business Spanish and Security Studies. Originally from Northbrook, Illinois, she graduated from Glenbrook North High School where she captained the varsity tennis team, led the Israeli Culture Club, and served on the regional board of BBYO Great Midwest Region. Additionally, she studied at Alexander Muss High School in Israel, interned with Jewish National Fund, and was selected for the Sababa Fellowship. She also spent a summer volunteering across Ecuador while strengthening her Spanish proficiency. At the University of Texas, Josie was selected as an Embedded Scholar, a highly selective research fellowship focused on democracy assistance and development. This summer, she will conduct field research with CID Gallup, a leading market research company, in Panama City. On campus, she also serves as an Engagement Intern with Texas Hillel, Programming Chair for Israel Block Party, Director of Facility Management for the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, and a volunteer with Micah 6 Food Bank.

Gabriella Mayer graduated from John L. Miller Great Neck North High School in New York, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper, captain of the varsity swim team, and an officer of DECA, becoming an International Finalist in the Entrepreneurship category. She also worked at Camp HASC, a summer program for individuals with special needs, and served as a student docent for the Anne Frank House exhibit, helping bring the initiative from Amsterdam to the United States. She has served for more than a year as a Digital Media Editor for the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), where she evaluates digital media strategies and explores emerging AI applications in medicine while collaborating with physicians and researchers on clinical publication initiatives. She spent last summer in the cardiothoracic surgery unit at Mount Sinai Hospital, interning under leading cardiothoracic surgeons and observing procedures ranging from transcatheter aortic valve replacements to heart transplants. She later published an editorial reflecting on these experiences in JACC. In college, Gabriella participates in the American Cancer Society on Campus, supporting advocacy and fundraising for cancer patients and research; the Neuroscience Club, where she takes part in a peer mentorship program and volunteers with organizations such as Ronald McDonald House; and Medi-Gators, which provides structured virtual shadowing with physicians across specialties. She also serves on the Junior Executive Board of the Society for Jewish Thought, helping organize programming and assist with internal governance. Through the Best Buddies Peer Buddy Program, she works one-on-one with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A fluent Russian speaker with intermediate proficiency in Hebrew, Gabriella is particularly interested in the intersection of Jewish intellectual history, civic thought, community service, and biomedical innovation.

David Morris is an incoming Rosenthal-Levy Scholar at the University of Florida, with plans to major in PPEL. David was homeschooled his whole life through a curriculum anchored in his church community, where his father, a college philosophy professor, taught him through primary sources: the Enūma Eliš, Josephus, Adam Smith, and courses on the Second Temple and Judaism that has shaped his understanding of both the Bible and the modern state of Israel. A summer program with the Witherspoon Institute at Princeton University redirected his ambitions entirely toward civic life and intellectual engagement. After captaining an FTC robotics team for two years, David’s interests swayed toward the liberal arts. Teaching a middle school class on medieval warfare proved the turning point, conjoining his commitment to service with his love of history. David is deeply interested in the practice of Jewish and Christian religion in increasingly hostile environments. He hopes to pursue a career in international relations with a focus on how religious and cultural factors affect the ways that nations interact with the world.

Lena Nadaner is studying War, Statecraft, and Strategy, with an interest in great power interactions and national security. As a University Research Scholar and member of the Honors Program, she conducts research with Dr. Laderman on Herbert Hoover’s rise to the presidency, focusing on his early life abroad and how it shaped his foreign policy views. After spending a year studying at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Israel, Lena is continuing her studies of Zionism, Judaism, Israeli society, the Middle East, and Hebrew. Raised in Potomac, MD, Lena served as Editor-in-Chief of The Lion’s Tale, leading the school paper to national recognition. She continues her passion for journalism by writing for The Florida Finibus. Lena is a U.S. Figure Skating Association Gold Medalist. She spent the summer studying at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford. Lena is energized about foreign affairs, philosophy, and leadership in defense of civic courage.

Phoebe Nissanoff is a student at the University of Florida, pursuing a double major in Philosophy, Politics, Economics, & Law, and War Statecraft, & Strategy. She is from Boca Raton, Florida, where she graduated from Donna Klein Jewish Academy. There, Phoebe was the founder of Students for Friends of the IDF, co-captain of the varsity volleyball team, and Editor-in-Chief of her high school newspaper. She attended Alexander Muss High School in Israel during her Sophomore year in high school, has interned with the Jewish National Fund, and was selected for the prestigious Sababa Fellowship. Phoebe was also an Alexander Muss ambassador and has used her leadership positions to advance Jewish education, historical awareness, and youth engagement in global Jewish affairs. She was awarded the Pathfinder Scholarship in World Languages by The Palm Beach Post for her study of Hebrew, Spanish, and French and is currently learning Arabic at UF. On campus she serves on the Board of Operations for Students Supporting Israel and participates in the Society for Jewish Thought and the Alexander Hamilton Society. Phoebe spent her summer in Washington, D.C. interning at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) where she worked to further engage with the Middle East, US-Israel relations, and national security matters.

Leo graduated from Midwood High School in Brooklyn, New York, where he was a multi-year varsity captain of both the soccer and lacrosse teams, leading his program to a championship appearance and setting a standard for discipline and accountability. He was a co-founder and manager of the Prospect Heights Friendly Fridge, expanding food access and helping scale the initiative to additional locations. Through VE, Leo founded Origins Odyssey, a heritage-based travel company, where he led design, marketing, and fundraising, helping his team place first in competitions across New York and earn a top-five national ranking in company design. He is currently enrolled at UF’s Warrington College of Business, has been a leader in the Beren Program on Jewish Civilization and is a Consumer Sector Analyst in the Caimanes Student-Managed Equity Hedge Fund. He will study War, Statecraft, and Strategy to examine how nations wield power, make decisions, and navigate complex geopolitical realities.

Valeria Proekt is a student at the University of Florida, originally from Brooklyn, New York, pursuing a dual degree in Chemistry and PPEL. A fluent Russian speaker and National Merit Finalist, she graduated from Staten Island Technical High School as a Public Forum Debate state champion, founder of the school’s Pre-Law Society, and intern to the NYPD Chief of Special Operations. At UF, she serves as Secretary of the Society for Jewish Thought and is a Robert M. Beren Fellow at the Hamilton School, where this summer she will research the scope of religious liberty in the United States through the Beren Summer Fellowship. Valeria is interested in the intersection of science and public policy, with a particular focus on Jewish intellectual life.

Joshua Reich graduated from Katz Yeshiva High School in Boca Raton, Florida, where he served as captain and coach of the debate team and editor-in-chief of the school newsletter. He completed his gap year at Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh in Jerusalem. A two-time National Competitor in Public Forum debate, he earned the NSDA Degree of Distinction. During his time in the NSDA, Joshua was instrumental in pioneering the first group of Orthodox Jewish students in history to compete at the National Tournament in 2023 and 2024. He then built a coaching pipeline, helping five younger students from his school qualify for the tournament. His extracurricular record also includes being head of a private research group studying chronic illness and neurotubules, working as a Registered Behavior Technician serving nineteen children with developmental disabilities, and shadowing a litigation attorney through mediations and hearings. He is active in medical research in collaboration with leading scientists, focusing on neurology to develop innovative approaches to chronic pain. He plans to major in PPEL with a second major in Electrical Engineering.

Catalina is a studentat the University of Florida pursuing a double major in Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law (PPEL) and Economics. In high school, she was a six-time Louisiana state champion in cross country and track, named Gatorade Player of the Year, and recognized as a National Merit Finalist. She led a large pro-life organization, served on the Louisiana Legislative Youth Advisory Council, and was president of her parish’s Catholic Youth Organization. At UF, Catalina is the Director of Programming for her Young Americans for Freedom chapter, where she organizes speaker events and student discussions on public policy. She also serves on the Social Committee at St. Augustine Catholic Center, tutors students for the ACT, and works on the social media team for the Rosenthal-Levy Scholarship. An active member of Hamilton programming and the Thomistic Institute, Catalina participates in several student reading groups on political philosophy and religious studies. This summer, she will participate in the Oxford Study Abroad Program at Lady Margaret Hall as well as the Hertog Foundation Constitutional Studies Program. A passionate advocate for classical education and the enduring values of the West, she hopes to pursue law and public leadership grounded in moral and religious conviction.

Daniel Reinstein graduated from David Posnack Jewish Day School in Davie, Florida, where he served as President of the National Honor Society and Founder and President of the Rho Kappa Honor Society, and Executive President of Rams for Israel (85+ members, working with StandWithUs, IAC, and ZOA), founder of the Digital Media Club, and a Mock Trial lawyer who has competed in the Broward County circuit. Daniel was Captain of the Baseball Team and played Flag Football throughout high school, helping lead his team to two league championships. Daniel served as Regional Vice President of BBYO’s Gold Coast Region spanning across South Florida. He attended Alexander Muss High School in Israel in the summer of 2024 and served as a Florida Senate Page, interned for a Florida State Representative, and volunteered in local municipal campaigns, knocking on thousands of doors. Most recently, he was awarded the Broward County League of Cities Scholarship for Government Studies and the Aden Perry Good Samaritan Scholarship. He plans to major in PPEL at the Hamilton School.

Ethan Roberson graduated in the top 1% of his class from Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas. Born in Haifa, Israel, and raised across Massachusetts and Texas, Ethan served as President of the 100-member school orchestra, rising to first chair in the Marcus Chamber Orchestra as a six-time LISD First Division Solo & Ensemble awardee and All-Region qualifier on double bass. A National Merit Finalist, he was also a Wharton Global Youth Investment Competition finalist and Vice President of the Finance Club. Ethan has volunteered regularly with refugee families through his church and the Rio Valley Relief Project, mentored students with special needs through United Sound, and co-invented a US patent at biotech startup Blackbox. He is passionate about humanitarian finance, music, and building bridges across cultural and political divides in the US, Israel, and abroad. He plans to major in Strategy and Statecraft with a second major in International Business, Management, or Supply Chain Management at McCombs.

Raised in California, Hawaii, and Arizona, Noah Roth graduated summa cum laude from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, where he served as president of the Math and Science Academy, Jewish Student Union, and CyberPatriot team, captain of Sabercat Robotics, president of Mu Alpha Theta, Junior Class President, and Board Member of the NCSY Arizona Chapter. As a summer intern at Arizona State University’s Luminosity Lab, he developed lunar mapping and orbit planning software and worked on projects in psychological education technology. In 2024, he and his team won second place internationally in Indiana University’s Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism Datathon and Machine Learning Competition, where he led a cross disciplinary team in designing a machine-learning model to detect antisemitic content online. He also founded CollegeQ, a full-stack AI college planning app deployed to 330 Saguaro seniors. Noah is passionate about robotics, national security, Jewish civic leadership, and surfing. He plans to major in War, Strategy, and Statesmanship with a second major in Computer Science.

Elena Ruiz, a graduate of Trinity School at Meadow View in Virginia, completed a gap year with Young Life in Edinburgh, Scotland, mentoring teens and leading youth programming. At Trinity, she co-founded a bioethics club, captained the varsity soccer team, and starred in school and community theater. A National Latin Exam awardee, Elena studied Latin, Koine Greek, Arabic, and Spanish, and is currently minoring in Arabic at UF. A member of the Christian Study Center’s Walker Percy Fellows Program, she is deeply engaged with both Jewish and Christian texts. She is pursuing her study of classical thought and moral leadership with a degree in Great Books and Ideas.

Barri Seitz is a student at the University of Texas at Austin from Atlanta, Georgia, pursuing a dual degree in Plan II Honors and Human Dimensions of Organization, with minors in Hebrew and Philosophy, Politics and Economics. A National Merit Finalist, she graduated from The Weber School and arrived at UT with fluent Hebrew, which she has deepened through coursework including two semesters of Intensive Hebrew and a course in Israeli Society and Culture. In high school, she served as Leadership Team Chair for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, raising over $230,000 for blood cancer research, and attended Alexander Muss High School in Israel. At UT, she co-founded Longhorn Students for Israel and chaired Texas Hillel’s Israel Block Party, the largest pro-Israel campus event in North America. She is currently serving as President of the University Panhellenic Council, where she oversees 13 organizations representing over 4,000 members and managed a $280,000 recruitment budget. Her Plan II Honors thesis proposes to compare the assimilation and acculturation practices of interwar Polish-Jewish youth movements with those of contemporary American Jewish youth organizations. She is pursuing a career in consulting, with a summer 2026 internship at KPMG Advisory.

Tzur Shalit completed high school in three years, graduating from the Blue & White Academy homeschool while also earning two associate degrees from Austin Community College in Peace & Conflict Studies and Government, where he made Chancellor’s Honor Roll every semester and earned an Honors Scholar award. As a moot court competitor, he was invited to the National Judicial Competition three times, won the Maimonides Moot Court Competition, and won the Harlan Institute Supreme Court Competition. In 2025, he won election as the 78th Chief Justice of the Texas Youth and Government Program among 1,300 students. His thought is shaped by Clausewitz’s On War and Plato’s Republic, and his engagement with Tikvah-affiliated programming includes the James Madison Program Summer Seminar at Princeton, the UT Austin Youth and Community Studies Fellowship, published essays on Jewish military ethics and Maimonides, and original research presented at the ACC Symposium. He also founded ACC’s first chess club and created the Legal Interview Project. At the School of Civic Leadership, he plans to study Civics Honors and Strategy and Statecraft.

Isaac Shor graduated from the Emery/Weiner School in Houston, Texas. As president of the chess club, he organized school-wide tournaments and created an after-school chess tutoring program for disadvantaged youth at the Nehemiah Center of Houston. A two-sport athlete, Isaac played varsity soccer and lacrosse throughout high school, earning the Scholar Athlete Award, the Herzl Hill Award, and two All-State selections as a lacrosse defenseman. He was a member of the National Honor Society. Isaac served on the Bellaire Youth Council, lobbied Texas politicians for increased security funding for Houston-area Jewish institutions, and participated in the national march for Israel in Washington. At Texas Boys State, he was elected by his peers to serve as precinct chairman, county delegate, county commissioner, and state delegate. He has shadowed both a neurologist and a dentist; his long-term goal is medicine, with PPEL as the vehicle for connecting ethical frameworks to health policy.

Julian Shulman graduated summa cum laude from Chapel Hill High School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. As president of his school’s Save The Music club, he taught guitar and organized volunteer music lessons at local elementary schools. In 2025, he was awarded the Pauli Murray Student Award for his ceramic piece. A Tikvah Solomon Fellow and alumnus of the Tikvah Scholars Program, he is drawn to intellectual discourse in philosophy and geopolitics, and has taken up independent study of Abarbanel, Spinoza, and the Zohar. He also serves as co-president of the inaugural class of the Abarbanel Institute, a summer educational program for Jewish teens hosted in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Jordyn Spalding graduated from Akiba Yavneh Academy in Dallas, Texas, where she served as Student Body President and founded her school’s Model United Nations program. Throughout high school, she was heavily involved in community service activities, earning recognition for her leadership. Jordyn participated in various organizations including Friendship Circle and Students Against Terrorism, where she helped organize community initiatives and fundraising efforts, raising $50,000 for October 7 victims. Jordyn became the first girl in her school’s history to play on the boys’ varsity soccer team, where she served as captain and earned TAPPS 3A First Team All-State honors, while also captaining the girls varsity basketball and soccer teams. Outside of school, Jordyn worked as a camp counselor and activities director. She values teamwork, honesty, and community involvement.

Guy Taylor is an Honors student at the University of Florida pursuing a double major in Philosophy Politics Economics & Law, and Business Administration. He is a graduate of Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Baltimore, Maryland, where he served as the President of the National Honor Society, co-captain of the varsity tennis team, and President of his school’s AIPAC chapter and Israel advocacy committees. He has served on the board of the JCC of Greater Baltimore, is a Diller Teen Fellow alum, and a recipient of the Congressional Award Gold Medal – the highest honor bestowed by Congress to American youth – recognizing initiative, achievement, and public service. In becoming an Eagle Scout, he built an outdoor classroom to serve both secular and Judaic studies. He enjoys writing for the University of Florida’s preeminent pre-law fraternity, Phi Alpha Delta, and is also a member of the Business Law Society and the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. Guy’s commitment to Jewish education, community service, and Israel advocacy is rooted in his desire to sustain Jewish institutions and strengthen American civic life through philanthropy and leadership.

Ocean Timmins is an honors student at the University of Florida pursuing a dual degree in Philosophy Politics Economics & Law, and Finance. He is from Brooklyn, New York, where he was homeschooled from first through twelfth grade. He is the treasurer and curriculum officer for the Society for Jewish Thought, with responsibilities including building budgets, tracking finances, and leading bi-weekly seminar meetings. He also is a member of the Hamilton School’s Society of Fellows and a contributing writer at the Florida Finibus, UF’s newest student publication. He is on the Jewish Life Committee at Hillel, organizing conservative services on campus, along with working at the local Conservative synagogue as a Hebrew School teacher. In the summer he works at the Northwestern Sailing Center teaching adult classes and kids camps. In high school he was captain of his sailing team and served as crew of the A-Boat.

Leora Tripp recently completed a gap year in Israel, studying Politics and Hebrew Language through the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. During her gap year, Leora founded and led a community fitness and Pilates initiative that raised funds in support of the IDF, and spent time volunteering at the Tel Aviv Medical Center. A summa cum laude graduate of Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Boca Raton, Florida, Leora served as Board President of the Teens of Pink Ribbon Association through which she led breast cancer education seminars across 35 schools, Lead Attorney of the Mock Trial Team, Concert Master and First Chair Violinist in her school orchestra, and Founder of Pink Pack Pals, a nonprofit supporting families of cancer patients that has received international recognition. She also published original breast cancer research presented at the Johns Hopkins Global Health Leaders Conference. A passionate advocate for Israel and Western values, Leora is eager to bridge the gap between history and modern dialogue.

Noa Vinokur graduated from the Adelson School in Las Vegas, Nevada. She founded and served as editor-in-chief of Kolehnu: The Adelson Literary Magazine, a student-led publication dedicated to fostering open dialogue and creativity, and the Adelson Yearbook. For her work, Noa won the school’s Brett Fonfa Writing Award for first-place poetry, and received the English Achievement Award. Noa has been active in NCSY throughout high school, and is also an alumna of the Solomon Fellowship and the Tikvah Scholars Program, which she describes as a transformative experience where she found her intellectual community. She is the owner of Baked by Noa, a cottage bakery, and worked at Zucker Jewish Academy Camp as a counselor for special needs youth. A passionate student of American and Jewish history, Noa is an advocate for studying and harnessing the wisdom of the great thinkers and writers who came before us in order to improve the civic health of America.

Avner graduated from Wilton High School in Wilton, Connecticut. He plans to study Marine Sciences and PPEL. His National History Day paper on the use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War won first place in Connecticut, placed eighth nationally, and was featured by the White House Historical Association. He interned with the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, assisting with cases involving criminal and environmental law. He attended the Island School in Eleuthera, Bahamas, where he learned to scuba dive and studied sustainability and marine ecology. Avner captained the varsity wrestling and cross-country running teams and was drumline section leader in his school marching band. He works to combat antisemitism and celebrate Jewish heritage as the founder and co-president of the Jewish Alliance at his high school, and participates in the Hartman Institute Teen Fellowship. He is interested in Middle Eastern affairs and national security, names Eisenhower as his greatest leader of the 20th century, and hopes to pursue a second major in History.