Meet Our Inaugural Scholars

Eithan Ackerman is a freshman 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.

Jude Berg will graduate this spring from Ingraham High School in Seattle, Washington. An IB Diploma candidate, Jude serves as a team steward and varsity rower for Pocock Youth Rowing and competed at the 2024 Youth National Championship in Sarasota. He is founding president of his school’s pickleball club, a counselor at Camp JCA Shalom, and a long-time participant in United Synagogue Youth. Jude has led multi-day outdoor expeditions and worked to combat antisemitism and misinformation through student-led initiatives. Passionate about Jewish ideas, philosophy, and civic discourse, Jude aspires to lead a life of courage, curiosity, and character.

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.

Last spring, 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 junior 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. Now during her freshman year at the University of Florida, Sabrina is currently serving as Pledge Class President of the Alpha Phi Omega Tau Chapter service club, working as secretary for the Society of Jewish Thought club, helping develop the Rosenthal-Levy Social Media presence, participating in UF Hillel’s LOC Leadership Program, and more.

Sari D’Agostino is a freshman 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 first-year 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.

AJ Horowitz, from Yeshivat Frisch in New Jersey, will join our program in Fall 2026 after completing a year of learning in Israel. He is a three-time national champion and varsity captain in wrestling and president of both the debate team and choir. AJ is also a passionate Jewish educator, having introduced peers to tefillin and Jewish texts in both Jewish and interfaith settings. He interned at a fragrance R&D lab in Istanbul after teaching himself Turkish, and raised over $27,000 to equip his school’s wrestling team. AJ seeks to bring a blend of strength, strategy, and scholarship to everything he does and is an alumnus of the Tikvah Scholars Program, the Tikvah Solomon Fellowship, and the Wharton Global Youth Program.

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.

Phoebe Nissanoff is a freshman 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 looks forward to spending this upcoming summer in Washington, D.C. interning at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) where she will work further to engage with the Middle East, US-Israel relations, and national security matters.

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. She will spend the summer studying at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford. Lena is energized about foreign affairs, philosophy, and leadership in defense of civic courage.

Catalina is a freshman at 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.

Elena Ruiz, a graduate of Trinity School at Meadow View in Virginia, recently 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.

Guy Taylor will graduate this spring from Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Baltimore. He is President of the National Honor Society, co-captain of the varsity tennis team, and an Eagle Scout. Guy leads his school’s AIPAC chapter and Israel advocacy committees, serves on the board of the JCC of Greater Baltimore, is a Diller Teen Fellow alum, and a recipient of the Congressional Award Gold Medal. For his Eagle Scout project, he built an outdoor classroom to serve both secular and Judaic studies. 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 a junior honors student at the University of Florida persuing 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.

Paikea Colligan, from Berkeley, CA, is a senior at the University of Florida, majoring in Economics and Mathematics. She is a Tikvah Summer Fellowship alumna and serves as president of the Society for Jewish Thought, the Beren Program’s official student organization, where she leads efforts to deepen engagement with Jewish and Western ideas on campus and create a vibrant network of passionate and curious scholars. She is actively involved in Jewish life through Chabad and as a service leader at Hillel, and she also participates in UF’s Extreme Dance Company. Professionally, Ms. Colligan is a Program Associate at Tikvah and was a researcher at UC Davis, where she co-authored The Unaccounted-for Climate Costs of Materials, published by IOP Publishing. Upon graduation, she plans to pursue research in economics and mathematics education.