I am a product of the traditional American Jewish educational path. I attended Hebrew School as a child, Hebrew High School as a teen, and was actively involved in my synagogue youth group, USY. Like many others, I took the expected teen tour to Israel in high school—but that trip was anything but ordinary for me. It changed my life.

I decided during that trip that I would study in Israel during college. I spent my junior year in Jerusalem at the Hebrew University’s One Year Program for international students. It was there that I felt called to become a teacher. I realized that I could teach anywhere—Israel or the US—and share my love of learning with others.

My year at Hebrew University was transformational. I studied Zionism, Tanach, Israeli politics and literature, and even hiked the country from........

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