At FSU Hillel, Every Experience is Welcome
Every Springboard Fellow brings something unique and special to the fellowship that makes the impact of their work meaningful to their students.
For Urban Seiberg (they/them), a First Year Springboard Fellow at Florida State University (FSU) Hillel, their unique contribution is being a supporter of queer Jewish students on campus and being a safe resource in a state with laws that are increasingly hostile to queer students. Having a queer Jewish Hillel professional to look up to as an undergraduate made a huge difference to them, and they’re excited to be paying that forward. When Hillel staff encouraged them to connect with the Jewish community beyond the University of Southern California and get more deeply involved, Springboard seemed like the perfect fit.
Their first goal was to make it loud and clear that FSU Hillel is welcoming to queer and trans Jewish students. One of their most meaningful moments was a trans student coming up to a Hillel table where Urban sat with some rainbow flags to ask if Hillel was safe for trans students. Urban still remembers how overwhelmed the student was when they said yes. The Hillel building now displays a banner welcoming trans students.
Urban also brought their unique perspective to the intimacy section of the Jewish Learning Fellowship curriculum, an experiential, conversational seminar for students looking to deepen their understanding of Judaism. When they got feedback from students, there was a comment that said how impactful the intimacy section had been, especially in light of some personal trauma and pain the student had experienced in the past. As a new Jewish educator, Urban was blown away, and proud of their ability to make such a clear and immediate impact.
For Urban, the Springboard Fellowship has been a source of community and connection, especially in the wake of October 7. Their cohort bonded right away, forming a close-knit group that has lasted even after each fellow has settled into their individual campuses.
As their time in the Fellowship continues, Urban is looking forward to connecting Hillel students with the larger Tallahassee community. They hope to help students not just learn about Jewish values, but also have the opportunity to live those values and ideas in their daily life.