Every Day is Different in the Life of an IACT
Jeanine Albero is the IACT at Pennsylvania State University.
As a first-year IACT (Inspired, Active, Committed, Transformed) at Penn State Hillel, one thing I love about my job is that there’s no “typical day,” simply because every day is different. Some days I’m on campus, meeting with Jewish students and coordinating programs, and other days, I’m halfway across the world staffing a Penn State Hillel Birthright Israel trip, showing students the amazing history and culture of Israel.
Regardless of the activity, spending time with students is always the best part of what I do, which is a good thing, because it’s also the core of my work. Inspiring students to join a Birthright Israel trip (and keeping in touch with them before and after their Birthright Israel experiences) is a key aspect of my role, and the conversations I have with students go much deeper than talking about their trips. Whether we’re having coffee chats or just connecting in the halls of the Hillel building, we discuss everything from their classes, to their friendships and relationships, to Penn State culture.
Our students are also out there serving our wider community, and I make sure to support them. I serve as a staff advisor for Falon’s Chicken Soup Hotline, a student-run initiative here at Penn State Hillel that delivers free, hot matzah ball soup (chicken or vegetarian) along with cough drops and tissues to students who are feeling under the weather. Seeing the way these students provide a little taste of home to our Penn State community is one of the most meaningful parts of my job, and watching them grow in their roles as cooks, student supervisors, and deliverers is such an honor.
Every day, I’m lucky enough to have at least one, and often many incredible moments that remind me just how special this work is. On a recent Birthright Israel trip, my students and I visited the Gaza Envelope and the site of the Nova music festival, where a heartbreaking massacre took place on October 7th, 2023, and I was able to be there as a resource for them, and to learn from their resilience and compassion as they processed those emotional moments. On our last night in Jerusalem, we sang karaoke together, and I found myself tearing up when three students sang “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac, a song about reflection and change. It made me realize how much these students shape my own growth and development as a Jewish professional.
At our recent One Fein Shabbat, which connected prospective Birthright participants, Birthright alumni, and other Jewish students on campus, so many of my trip alumni came to sit with me and reminisce about our shared experiences in Israel. At the end of the meal, they showered me with hugs, sharing how much fun they had reconnecting and relaxing with their friends.
That moment helped me see the full impact of my work, giving students a space to be themselves, explore their connection with Israel, and build the confidence to take the leap and travel to Israel with Birthright. In fact, this Birthright Israel recruitment season ended up with the most buses ever sent from Penn State Hillel: four in total for this coming summer. It’s so inspiring to know that my work with students makes them want to deepen their connection with Israel, and to share this transformative journey with me.
From coffee chats to Birthright Israel trips, Shabbat programs to giant batches of matzah ball soup, I feel so lucky to be doing this work here at Penn State Hillel, connecting with students and broadening their experiences with Hillel, Israel, and Jewish life on campus.