Meet Sarah Gindes, Campus Director of NC Hillel at NC State University
It’s back-to-school time! We met with Sarah Gindes, Campus Director of NC Hillel at NC State University, to talk about their growth in student engagement, their new space, and how Hillel has supported students during a challenging year.
Q: What is your background? How did you come to work at NC State Hillel?
Sarah Gindes, Campus Director of NC Hillel at NC State University
A: I’m from Indianapolis. I went to Indiana University and received an undergraduate degree in Philanthropic Studies. I love philanthropy and the nonprofit field because it serves my community and my passions. It's a field that grows with me.
I moved with my husband and children to North Carolina 10 years ago, for the better weather, of course, and we have family here. I worked in development at Jewish for Good, while sending my kids to The Lerner School next door for about 6 years, and I received my certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University.
I felt like I wanted to continue to focus on specifically Jewish nonprofits, so I received my Masters in Jewish Studies from the Spertus Institute. It was during that program that I met Sarah Cohn, my predecessor at NC State Hillel. She is the one that introduced me to the idea of working at NC State. That was four years ago. I love our Hillel, and being connected to a multi-campus organization at NC Hillel where my team spans across the state with 8 different campuses! Meeting students and hearing their love and their passion made me feel like I could truly make a difference and help them realize their vision. And I love being a lifelong student right along with them. This summer I completed a Master’s Concentration in Israel Education from the iCenter to better meet the needs of Israel Education on campus.
Q: What is the new space like?
A: It’s only two doors down from our old space on Hillsborough, so its still a great campus location, but it’s twice the size! There is an opening reception area and a hallway leading to multiple rooms. We have an educational space that will include a library and a conference table. Another room is our “meditation room,” where students can go if they need a quiet moment to sit, practice mindfulness, or even pray on their own. Another room is the hangout room, where students can get together and socialize. There will be a TV where students can watch movies or play video games. And because of the layout we can have dual programming in the space – yoga in one room and a Jewish Learning Fellowship in another room. This is what we have planned for the new space, but a big part of the process will be seeing how the students take ownership of it and adapt it to their needs. We need to learn how they are going to live in the space, so I am looking forward to a year of flexibility and seeing what creative ideas the students have for it. We will be making our house a home.
Q: How has NC State Hillel grown in the last several years?
A: We’ve had an average of 20% growth for the past 3 years. My first year, we were happy having 15 students at Shabbat. Now we average 50 students at each Shabbat. That’s why we need a new space! I was literally running out of space, tables, and chairs. We had to use beanbag chairs to accommodate more people. When the opportunity came for a new space, we had to take it. It was a stretch, but it’s an investment in our future.
We call our students “superusers.” Once people know us, they love us. Hillel has become a second home for our students. We have more than a dozen stop by throughout the day. One of my students, Sophie, whose older siblings went to NC State, mentioned that her sisters were happy with having a Shabbat somewhere on campus once a month. Now we have one every single Friday. Her sisters are blown away. We’ve also added Thursday night hangouts that are informal, student-led programs. We have MarkioKart night, Taylor Swift night. They have a sense of ownership over that space. We’ve also added Wellness Wednesdays, which focuses on mental health.
My biggest goal is to make Hillel more than one space for students to spend one period of their lives. This is their Jewish community in Raleigh. We want them to feel that external Jewish community. I advertise Federation programs, synagogue programs, museum programs.
Q: How has NC State Hillel supported students in the wake of October 7?
A: So many public and private conversations took place to discuss how to move forward. They wanted their Hillel space to be their safe place, their Jewish joy. They wanted to focus on things that they can control. How can we do something joyous and come together every single Friday? It became more important than ever to do that every single Friday. We offered more multi-perspective education on Israel. We strengthened our relationships with administrators. While we don’t do advocacy work, we support education and I advocate for our students’ safety.
I’ve been so grateful to work with NC State’s Care Coordinator, Rebecca Brown. She volunteers her time to come with her therapy dog and helps students navigate campus life. We’ve impacted 64 students through Wellness Wednesdays. It’s a small program, but it means students have access to a Jewish therapist on campus.
Q: What are some of the things you have planned for this coming school year?
A: We have a robust welcome week. I think it’s important that the first week, students can find us. Brand recognition and being seen on campus among 35,000 students is difficult. It’s our time to be on campus and show students who we are. We are truly student led, staff supported. Staff plans before students come, but then the students lead the way.
Then all of October is dedicated to the High Holidays. The rest of the year is about connecting with community partners. We work with the NCMA to do programs, like a Hillel Night with a cocktail party and a private tour of the Judaic Art Gallery. We work with Well-Fed Garden and do volunteer work for them. We make sure students have tickets for the High Holidays at the synagogues.
Last year, NC State Family Services included our Hillel in their official Family Weekend planning, and we are looking forward to that again. They include us in their calendar of things to do. I want them to feel that not only our Hillel is a safe place, but that our campus and Greater Raleigh Jewish community are their home.
Q: Can you share some of your favorite stories about students at Hillel?
A: I feel so many authentic and genuine relationships have been formed together. One of my favorite stories is that we’ve always done statewide programs. NC State hosted the Purim Ball at the Hunt Library Ballroom. We had close to 100 students from nine different campuses from around the state. It was during March Madness, and we ended up renting the AV system to play the game during the Purim Ball. To see a room completely filled with Jewish students across the state, doing Havdalah together was something they really needed. Students felt isolated after October 7, so I thought that was one of our most impactful programs. In February, we did a Shabbaton where we went to Greensboro and had a Jewish weekend retreat with 50 Jewish college students from all the NC Hillel campuses.
Q: What are your hopes for NC State Hillel in the next 5 years?
A: Right now, we are the 2nd largest Jewish community in the UNC system. I would like to see our engagement numbers grow, and become a larger community. I want to see more external support for our Hillel. I know how much it means to our students to see the contributions from other people and the community as a whole. After October 7, we had community members stop by with snacks and sponsor Shabbat dinners. As small and easy as those things are, they meant the world to our students to see that they are not alone. I’d like to see more of that, and formalize sponsorships. I’d like to have an Alumni party at the Hillel and so they can meet our students to see what an amazing community we’ve built. We’ve only had a space of our own for eight years, so we are relatively new in the Hillel world. And being part of the NC Hillel team, I know that we work together to make each other better. In the next 5 years, I want to see that we are a stronger NC Hillel around the state as well.
Q: For those who want to help you and Jewish student life at NC State Hillel, what can we do?
A: Here are three things you can do to help:
Click here to donate an item from NC State Hillel’s Amazon Wishlist.
Click here to sponsor a Shabbat dinner at NC State Hillel.
Click here to schedule a chat with Sarah about NC State Hillel or a tour of their new space.