By Kayla Seabolt

As the 2025–2026 academic year comes to a close, we are reflecting with gratitude on a year filled with connection, learning, service, and celebration at Hillel at VCU.

Throughout the year, students gathered around Shabbat tables, celebrated Jewish holidays, explored their identities, and built lasting friendships. 

Some connections began over coffee chats between classes, while others were formed through shared meals, leadership opportunities, and meaningful conversations about what Jewish life can look like on a college campus.

The spring semester was filled with memorable moments, including our Passover Seder Masquerade. This year, student leader Gabby Miller took the lead in planning the seder, bringing a creative vision that transformed the evening into a playful and engaging celebration. 

Working alongside fellow student leaders, Gabby helped blend tradition with imagination, creating an experience that invited students to connect with the Passover story in a fresh and meaningful way. The result was a memorable evening that reflected both the richness of Jewish tradition and the creativity of our student community.

Students also embraced opportunities to give back to the broader Richmond community. Under the leadership of our student service intern, Mara Lobley, Hillel hosted a community cleanup at Belle Isle that brought together students from a variety of campus organizations. Dozens of students spent the afternoon removing litter from one of Richmond's most beloved outdoor spaces, collecting numerous bags of trash while building new connections along the way. 

The event was a meaningful expression of the Jewish value of tikkun olam—repairing the world—and demonstrated our students' commitment to making a positive impact both on campus and throughout the Richmond community.

We closed the year with a summer camp-themed Shabbat dinner that brought a wave of Jewish nostalgia to campus. From camp-inspired activities to familiar songs and traditions, students had the opportunity to reflect on their own Jewish journeys while celebrating the community they have built together throughout the year.

Our work is only possible through the generosity of our supporters, alumni, parents, and community members. This year, Hillel at VCU celebrated its most successful Hillel Global Giving Week to date, raising more than $50,000 to support Jewish life on campus. We are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed and invested in the future of our students.

As we look ahead to the coming year, we are excited to welcome a new class of students to campus and continue creating a vibrant Jewish home away from home at VCU. If you know an incoming student, we would love to connect with them and help them find community from the moment they arrive.

Thank you for being part of another remarkable year at Hillel at VCU. We look forward to all that is still to come.