Because I was raised in an interfaith home, being Jewish was always a choice for me.

“Because I was raised in an interfaith household, being Jewish was always a choice for me. I went to temple and Jewish camps, and became heavily involved with the youth group NFTY, where I served as North American president and became a gun violence prevention activist. I wanted to continue my Jewish involvement and activism work when I enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh.

“As a Jewish student living in Pittsburgh, the shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue hit close to home. I could no longer just be an activist for gun violence prevention, I had to commit myself to continually fighting for it day in and day out. This summer, I’m interning for Senator Jacky Rosen from Nevada. I’ve dedicated most of my work to legislative projects, including gun violence prevention and building bipartisan support around it. I’ve also founded Not My Generation, a nonprofit that engages young adults on gun violence prevention.

“Activism is rewarding, but it also takes a lot out of you. Whether I’m on campus or off campus, my community at Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh has physically and emotionally supported me and my work. Their support has been restorative, and pushes me to keep going.”— Kathryn Fleisher, University of Pittsburgh