Inspiring Connections: A Springboard Fellow’s Memories from HIGA 2024
Shayna Kling is the social justice Springboard Fellow at the University of Miami (UM). Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Shayna is an alum of The Ohio State University. At UM Hillel, Shayna works on developing social justice programs with students, engaging first-year Jewish college students, and social media marketing for UM Hillel.
Shayna recently attended the Hillel International Global Assembly (HIGA), the annual conference for Hillel professionals from all over the world — a high energy, information packed week of connection and inspiration. Shayna kept a journal of her experiences and reflections that we are excited to share with you.
Monday, Day One:
From the second I arrived at the hotel, I felt the HIGA energy starting and prepared myself to get into conference mode, aka extrovert mode. One of my favorite parts of HIGA is seeing Jewish professionals I know from different parts of my life: friends from my Jewish youth group in high school; my counselors from Camp Wise, a Jewish summer camp in Ohio; State Buckeyes alumni from my alma mater; and of course, my cohort of Springboard Fellows and the UM Hillel staff! I absolutely LOVE the intersection of people from so many areas of my life and the Jewish geography that ensues.
I began the conference with other members of my Springboard Fellowship cohort, and we reflected on what we hoped to gain from HIGA, who we would want to engage with before the end of the conference, and some of the potential challenges we could encounter. I loved the intentionality of these sessions, and how it grounded and connected us before programming took off. I also appreciated that I had the Springboard cohort and so many familiar faces at my side.
Next up was dinner and the opening plenary! This year, I decided to join the Hillel House Band, an annual HIGA tradition featuring Hillel’s instrumentalists and singers, and we opened up the conference in a huge ballroom with songs that brought me back to my camp days. It was indescribable to bring my love for singing into the Hillel community!
The opening plenary was high energy and inspiring. Adam Lehman, the president and CEO of Hillel International, the HIGA co-chairs, and other Hillel leaders and students talked about how each of us is a Hillel superhero – and how impactful our work is to this generation of Jewish college students, and those who will attend college in the future. I felt empowered as I sat next to my fellow University of Miami Hillel staff members, in our UM themed flannels, and reflected on all the hard work we’ve done this year. We also got to hear from our very own Abi Schcolnik, who is the co-chair of the Hillel International Student Cabinet and a senior at UM! We all felt so proud watching her from the audience, and witnessing how much Hillel has shaped her and allowed her to grow as a leader.
We ended the night with a Florida Hillels reunion, and let me say, the Florida Hillel vibes are top notch. Everyone is so welcoming, which means chatting never feels like networking, but like getting to know a new friend.
Tuesday, Day Two:
On my second day at HIGA, I led my own session! I decided to take on more responsibility this year, since it’s my second year in the Springboard Fellowship, and my coworkers encouraged me to teach others about social media marketing and the processes I’ve created at UM Hillel. I co-led the session, which was called “Digital Glow-up,” with the amazing Abby Stoetzer, manager of Jewish life and digital marketing at Queens College Hillel. We gave step-by-step suggestions for improving a campus Hillel’s social media from the ground up, starting with brand kits and content calendars, and then moving into more creative ideas to amp things up. I left feeling grateful that Hillel offers opportunities to grow and develop professionally through collaboration and sharing ideas.
With that in mind, I went to another session that focused on the way crafting and creating can heal differences and connect people. I’ve always loved hosting crafting events with my students, but hadn’t thought about it as intentionally as this session encouraged me to do. As a group, we created a beautiful Hamsa using paper quilling, with the plan to give it to Hillel Israel to thank them for all they’ve endured this past year.
For lunch that day, I went to a marketing and communications cohort meetup, because I often work on social media projects for my Hillel. It was great to connect with many other like minded professionals who have so much knowledge to share. I also learned how many Hillel International staffers work behind the scenes making creative content, running marketing campaigns, and working on digital fundraising.
We had a Springboard social justice cohort meeting in the afternoon, where we reflected on the successes and challenges of the past year and a half. As a Social Justice Springboard Fellow, I have planned and collaborated on over a dozen volunteer events where students have the opportunity to give back to our local community. I love that I’m able to expand the perspectives of my students and take them out of their college bubbles to help local Miamians. We’ve worked with organizations like Camillus House, Repair the World, the local Ronald McDonald House, and so much more.
After reflecting on these experiences, we brought the conversation back to our roots, and everyone shared where their passions from social action started and why they’re here now. It was a great reminder of why we do this work.
To finish the day, I hung out at a local Boston bar with many of my friends from Springboard, and we celebrated our achievements together.
Wednesday, Day Three:
My two favorite sessions from the final day at HIGA were “How to Make Meetings as Fun and Productive as You Are” and “Moving from Springboard to Assistant Director.”
As I sometimes plan meetings for our Hillel, I enjoyed hearing about the organization and logistics that go into planning meetings, and the session gave me insight into the work of our leadership team, as well as ideas for how we might adjust in the future.
During the “Springboard to Assistant Director” session, we talked about how to set yourself up for success and growth within your Hillel. This session solidified the importance of professional development, and gave me more confidence in the skills I’ve built up to this point. We thought a lot about what could be next for us as second year Springboard Fellows, and I felt empowered to ask for more responsibilities and learning opportunities at my own Hillel to continue this journey.
Following that session, I had a Springboard focus group, where I listened to feedback from the cohort. It also pushed me to reflect on the team relationships I’ve built at UM, and realize how grateful I am for those relationships and the work we do there.
The last part of the day was the closing awards dinner, where outstanding Hillels and Hillel professionals are recognized for their incredible work. UM and the Florida Hillels won an Innovation Award for the Hillels of Florida Poland trip that the UM executive director helped bring to life. The hosts of the awards celebration were hilarious, and I loved the humor they brought to their roles. It also was great to hear about the amazing initiatives that other Hillels are working on, and how they are creatively bringing students together. And it was so uplifting to hear how dedicated Hillel International is to building bridges and pluralism, and how much hope there is for the Jewish future.
HIGA was a delight this year: full of new connections, laughter, advice and opportunities to ask questions, and I discovered roles in the Hillel world that I didn’t know existed. Best of all, I felt connected to people from all over the world. HIGA 2024 did not disappoint, and I can’t wait for next year!