Beren Campus Election Candidate Profiles Spring 2021
Compiled by YU Observer Editorial Staff
SCWSC President
Shoshana Wallach
When comparing my first year on campus to this last year, there are many differences that stand out, aside from being in a global pandemic. Still, one major difference was the meaning brought to my campus life this year by being a member of the student government. Over the last two semesters, I saw firsthand the positive impact that student government can make. As SCWSC VP of Academic Affairs, I worked hard to improve the student body’s campus (or digital campus) experience.
I am running for SCWSC President because I believe I have more to give back to my peers. I want to use what I have learned from this year to continue to improve the lives of students and to be a strong advocate for you. I aim to continue programming that provides enjoyable, unique experiences and makes the 6-foot gap feel smaller. I will work to bridge the gap between on-campus learning and online learning (if we have that next year) to give everyone the college experience they deserve.
Talia Leitner
My name is Talia Leitner and I’m so excited to be running for President of SCWSC! I served as the VP of Clubs this year and loved forming a connection with so many students! I enjoyed organizing Yoms, trivia nights, comedy nights and more this year! I really hope to continue to bring more in-person events to the Beren campus next year! I understand that not everyone comes from the same background, and I really want to foster a stronger community among all of the different students on campus! Help me make these dreams a reality by voting this Thursday!
SCWSC Vice President of Academic Affairs
Hadas Hirt
SCWSC Vice President of Programming
Nina Anina
Hello! My name is Nina Anina and I am a sophomore Biology major at Stern. I came into Stern last year as a true freshman from public school. I initially got involved in Student government as the Freshmen Class President. During my first freshman class event, a meet and greet, over 100 students showed up! This year, I am running for VP of Programming.
Over the last year, with this worldwide pandemic, we all faced challenges that were greatly unexpected. As VP of Programming, I want to make up for lost time. I want to advocate for my fellow peers and inspire them to bring their event ideas to the table and make it happen. Anything is possible, and I am all ears.
SCWSC Vice President of Public Relations
Meital Lindenberg
My name is Meital Lindenberg and I’m a sophomore from Cherry Hill, NJ, majoring in music. I’m running for SCWSC VP of Public Relations because I have experience in and enjoy making posters. I also am passionate about planning events that the student body wants, which is why I plan to send out a Google form after events for students to give their feedback and input ideas for new events they’d like to see happen. I also want Beren students to be more aware of events that tend to get lost in emails by making a Facebook and Instagram account where all the events can be in one place.
Chana Fischer
Hey! My name’s Chana Fischer and I’m running for SCWSC VP of PR. I’m from Detroit, Michigan and a rising junior. I really enjoy being involved in my school community, which is why I ran for student council. In high school, I was in charge of PR and made flyers and logos for Bnei Akiva and NCSY. I can’t wait to help make next year great!
TAC President
Suzanna Rabinovitch
I’m Suzanne from Denver, Co and I’m running to be TAC president for this upcoming year at Stern! After attending MMY for a year and a half, I made it to campus and am currently majoring in Business Management at Syms, hoping to go into the Jewish non-profit world after graduation. From the moment I arrived at Stern, I knew that the Torah life and programming that exists here is a huge part of what makes this university special for all of us in the student body. My goal is to create programming that each and every student on campus can connect to and enjoy, and continue to build upon the amazing foundation that TAC has laid out in the past many years. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions for TAC, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
TAC Vice President of Chesed
Meira Prager
Hey! I’m Meira Prager and I’m a junior from Teaneck, NJ, majoring in Early Childhood education. I’m running for TAC VP of Chesed. I love doing Chesed on campus, and I want to take Chesed to the next level! I have tons of great ideas to improve chessed on campus next year, including getting in touch with local organizations that could really use our help, and restarting Stern’s Chesed group chat with small daily Chesed opportunities.
Sela Boord
Hi! My name is Sela Boord. I am from West Hempstead, Currently in Sy Syms majoring in Business Management. I am a rising senior and am so excited about the opportunity I have to run for TAC student council. Since my first semester on Beren, I saw all the positive impacts all of the members of the student council have made on the Beren Campus and always knew I wanted the opportunity to run for student council and help contribute to that impact. I am so excited to be running for TAC VP of Chesed. I have gained so much from all the religious programming done on campus through TAC all which enhanced my religious experience as an undergraduate student. Chesed has always been an integral part of my life and I loved the opportunity to arrange Chesed programming in my schools prior to coming to Stern. As TAC VP of Chesed I would be able to develop meaningful related programming to all students and would be able to help my fellow students give to the world around us in different ways that connect to them.
TAC Vice President of Public Relations
Leia Rubinstein
Hi! My name is Leia Rubinstein and I’m running as VP of PR for TAC! I decided to run because I love Stern, I love Torah and I love making new friends. I want to make sure that everyone knows about all the incredible Torah related events that happen on campus. It would pain me to see someone missing out on a R’ Aryeh Leibowitz shiur or a massive Challah bake with ALL your friends, simply because they didn’t know about it! Did you know that TAC runs incredible events on Shabbos as well? Yes, that’s right, you don’t need to stress about finding rides back and forth from Stern because you can stay! As VP of PR of TAC I will make it my mission to ensure that everyone stays “Stern in the Know.” I love meeting new people and I’m super open to any suggestions so don’t hesitate to reach out! If you vote for me, I’ll make sure to spam your WhatsApp notifications with all the Torah events on campus…who wouldn’t want that? But, seriously, I’m super excited about running for TAC, and good luck to everyone running!
Lizzie Janssen
My name is Lizzie Janssen. I’m a junior from Chicago, majoring in psychology. After high school, I went to Migdal Oz and then did a year of Sherut Leumi at Shaare Zedek hospital, working as a nursing assistant in the children’s ward. After Stern, I want to move back to Israel and get my Master’s in dance/movement therapy. I am choosing to run because I believe I have a lot to offer TAC. I am passionate about the Torah content at Stern and believe that Torah is something that everyone should be involved in some capacity, even outside of Judaic classes. And that can look like a lot of things.
Hannah Karben
Hi everyone! My name is Hanna Karben from Monsey, New York, and I am running for TAC VP of Public Relations. I am currently a sophomore, majoring in Jewish education! As someone who enjoys learning Torah, and as someone who hopes to teach Torah as my career, I am passionate about having good speakers and ensuring that everyone knows about it. I plan to help make every shiur accessible to everyone who is interested, and to inform everyone about learning opportunities. Looking forward to our journey together!
TAC Vice President of Speakers
Ayelet Topp
Rebecca Aduculesi
Hellooooo women of Stern College!!! As you all know, election day is coming up, so let me give you three rapid fire reasons for why you should vote for me for TAC VP of Speakers! Reason number one: I own an awesome speaker, and I use it to blast pre-Shabbos jams every erev Shabbos (Friday afternoon). Reason number two: I have experience speaking, and I speak to my roommates on a consistent basis (they’re willing to testify to this). And finally, in all seriousness, reason number three: I truly believe we are so privileged to go to a university where we have ample opportunities to get involved in Torah, and we are so blessed to have shiurim provided for us on a nightly basis. I want to do whatever I can to continue cultivating an environment of growth, learning, and developing oneself religiously. I will do my best to bring in speakers who will teach us torah at the highest caliber, so we can all continue to enjoy and learn from the incredible shiurim at Stern College!
SYMSSC President
Shaiel Soleimani
I am Shaiel Soleimani and I am running to be YOUR Sy Syms President. If you don’t know me, allow me to introduce myself. I’m from Great Neck, New York, and yes, I’m Persian. I am double majoring in Accounting and Finance and double minoring in BIMA and Real Estate. I have been your Syms Vice President for the past two years. On student council I have created and spearheaded the Syms Beren Mentoring Program, created Syms swag, I have approved clubs and club events both in person and online. I have also planned many Beren Campus events. Additionally, I have helped and pushed to bring the Real Estate minor on campus. Now as your future President I plan to do SO much for you all. I want to help students with the internship/job process. I plan on doing this by continuing to work with the career center and Professor Spear on this matter. Additionally, I want to create more of a relationship between students and professors, so that students can reach out to professors for jobs/connections, almost like a student-professor mentorship. I think it is also important for Syms students to network with other Syms students as we are the future. I plan on doing so by making a Syms Networking Week. Additionally, I want to create a networking event between YU and other NYC business schools. I also want to create more Syms swag for you all, and of course plan an AWESOME SYMS DINNER! I am also open to any suggestions you have. As you can see, I have given my whole heart to YU, and more specifically Sy Syms. I want to continue to give all I have for you all and make your time at YU as amazing as possible.
Abigail Lerman
Hi, I’m Abigail Lerman and I’m running for Student Council President of the Sy Syms School of Business. One year ago, I set a personal goal to enhance Syms student life. I was tired of my peers asking me the Golden Question, “How did you hear about that event?” Because of this, I made a commitment to improve programming in Syms by ensuring that students knew what was happening on campus while providing them with opportunities to build their personal and professional networks.
How did I accomplish this in my role as the Vice-President of Public Relations?
*I spearheaded the creation of a new platform called “Syms in the Know” by updating students about campus events via a new WhatsApp group to minimize the number of SSTUDS they received.
*I helped plan a Peer Mentorship program which provided opportunities for experienced students to serve as mentors and role models and to provide career advice for those students new to Syms.
*I helped create online and in-person events, such as Trivia Nights, which were attended by over 100 participants, and two full days of programming for the Yoms, which included both our students living on campus as well as those Zooming in online.
As your Syms Student Council President, I want to continue the work that I started by creating opportunities for us to connect with each other while preparing for successful careers in our chosen fields. Here’s a glance of what you can expect from me in the coming year if elected President:
*For our Marketing and Management majors, I plan on creating an Open Café Forum where we will invite alumni in the field to share their experiences and network with you. This will give you the chance to explore different paths as you plan your career trajectory.
*For those studying Finance, BIMA and Accounting, I plan on bringing in established professionals to conduct workshops to help you expand your technical skills which will include a Capstone Project at the end of the day where you will have the opportunity to implement your new skills. This will give you the chance to network with professionals, build your resume and gain a competitive edge in the hiring process.
*For all Syms students, regardless of major, I plan on organizing a Case Competition which will provide opportunities for all of us to collaborate with each other in small teams to help solve real-world business challenges by utilizing the skills and talents from across all the Syms majors and curriculum.
As Election Day approaches, I want you to know that I am committed to improving your experience at Syms both personally and professionally and already have a plan designed to accomplish this goal! Last year I made a commitment and I delivered! This year won’t be any different!
SYMSSC Vice President of Public Relations
Rafi Kapitanker
My name is Rafi Kapitanker and I’m super excited to be running for Syms VP of PR! I am a Marketing major and Management minor and I have a ton of experience in PR. I want to be on the student council because I want to be more involved in Syms, and continue making communication clearer. I can’t wait to make next year amazing and your email inbox more organized!
Senior Class Vice President
Rina Melincoff
Junior Class President
Lea Saadoun
Hi I’m Lea Saadoun, an international student from Paris. I’m running for president of the junior class because I want the students of Stern to have the best college experience possible. I’ve been in Stern for two years now and I realized that there are so many girls that I have never met and never talked to. People say that college is the best years of your life and that the relationships you make here last forever. Well, I want to prove that. We have the chance to all be Stern and be in a Jewish environment where we all share the same values, Torah, and religious perspectives. Everyone is so unique and so special and has such different backgrounds and stories. I want people to meet extraordinaries stories whereas you’re from Russia, Paris, South Africa.
Plus, with COVID, so many activities and opportunities got cancelled. Being in college is not only about getting the best grade possible, but it’s also about the social environment you’re in. I want to create new possibilities, activities, and events.
Ayelet Monas
Rachel Gilinski
My name is Rachel Gilinski. I graduated from a really small, really new high school in Miami called Yotzer Ohr, where I was lucky enough to be able to take on multiple leadership roles. I was the class president and ran our school newspaper, and I regularly helped organize events and trips. After graduating, I spent a year at Midreshet Tehillah in Israel. I am now a sophomore here at YU, majoring in Business & Management.
Natalie Barbanel
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Beren Campus student council elections will be taking place on Thursday, May 29.