By Elexa Sherry | Contributor

Rachel Mitchell, a 2020 graduate of the University of Texas earning her degrees in International Relations with a focus on the Middle East and international security as well as the Plan II Honors program, has embraced both her Texas and Jewish identity as a student and a leader at Texas Hillel.

Rachel is a Midwesterner from St. Louis and moved to Dallas before her freshman year of high school.

Before attending UT, Mitchell took a gap year to Israel which as she puts it, was a “big-deal moment” in her life. After traveling back to the states, Mitchell attended UT. Once she immersed herself in Austin and in all of the student life that UT has to offer, Mitchell learned to love it. She then began her instant involvement with Texas Hillel that would help to set the stage for the rest of her years.

“I became really involved in the Jewish community,” Mitchell said. Mitchell attended the welcome brunch and BBQ put on by Texas Hillel during her freshman year and within her first semester, was offered a board position. By her second semester, she became a First Impressions Intern and a Campus Engagement Intern. She said she’s gained so many leadership experiences.

Mitchell’s involvement with Texas Hillel continued as she became the President of Texas for Israel, was a board member for AIPAC, and participated in several other Hillel initiatives.

“I think that it’s been really special to work with different types and kinds of Jews that come to UT,” Mitchell said. “Some of them are really strong Zionists and they love Israel and that’s their Jewish identity, and other people I’ve worked with are involved with social justice issues, others are more religiously involved, and I think that seeing how diversely people appreciate their Judaism and just celebrate it has been amazing.”

Mitchell said she’s had the opportunity to travel on some life-changing trips through Texas Hillel. She went to Argentina over a spring break, attended an AIPAC conference and a trip to Israel.

Starting from a young age, Mitchell said she has always been connected to Judaism and has continued to maintain her Jewish identity.

“I would say that I’ve always had a pretty strong connection to my Jewish identity”, Mitchell said. “I’ve always belonged to a synagogue, I went to Jewish summer camp and I was involved in a Jewish youth group.”

Mitchell said she became even more interested in exploring her Jewish identity on her gap year to Israel and at Texas Hillel.

“Just this year, I completed the Life’s Big Questions Jewish learning fellowship through Hillel which was a really great way to approach traditional Jewish texts through a more modern perspective,” Mitchell said.

Despite the rest of the semester not being anticipated to be remote due to the coronavirus outbreak, Mitchell still has strong participation in Hillel events and programs that have been currently taking place online.

Mitchell is currently working with the Hillel At Home initiative where several speakers are brought in to share their unique perspectives and stories.

“I was asked to interview Yossi Klein Halevi who is a really big author on issues related to Israel, the diaspora Jewish world and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and that was a really exciting experience to get to interview someone who I admire so much,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said beyond that initiative, she’s also been a part of the White Rose Society meetings where she helped lead one on the coronavirus issue and on refugees. She also said she was involved in putting together and making sure that the Jewish Learning Fellowship would run smoothly after the transition to moving the program online.

When Mitchell was not walking through the doors of Hillel, she said a lot of her time was put towards her involvement in the Arabic department. Mitchell was a member of the Arabic Flagship Program, which she said functioned like a cohort with several academic, cultural and summer activities she participated in. She was also a peer academic coach at the Sanger Learning Center where she mentored students and helped them with their academics. In addition to these organizations, Mitchell was a fellow at the Clemens Center for National Security, where she continued her focus on her studies on National Security.

One of Mitchell’s favorite past Texas Hillel programs was called Hanukkah Diwali, where Texas Hillel would partner with the Hindu Student Association and the Indian Cultural Association. She said the two holidays were around the same time and participants would make latkes with Indian spices, as well as other traditional Indian and Hanukkah dishes.

“One year we had a Jewish-Indian comedian come which was really fun,” Mitchell said. “Sometimes people even get dressed up. It was a really great experience and a really great moment of cultural exchange.”

Mitchell is hopeful her plans post-graduation won’t be altered by the pandemic.

“Obviously with coronavirus, everything has been a little crazy,” Mitchell said. “As of now, my plan is to move to Boston and work as a Springboard Fellow, which will be great and the Hillel there is supposed to be really nice. Everything is kind of up in the air because a lot of schools don’t know when their start dates are.”

Texas Hillel has left a lasting impact on Mitchell both throughout her time as a UT student, and will continue with her beyond graduation. She said she felt a sense of community and support throughout her undergraduate career.

“I was always in and out of the building and I just loved that no matter how stressed out I was, or no matter how much I had going on, I had a really great support system and being able to celebrate Shabbat and the holidays with Hillel throughout college was really nice,” Mitchell said. “I really feel like I had a home away from home in Austin and I think Hillel was a big part of that.”

Texas Hillel congratulates Rachel Mitchell on all of her accomplishments throughout her time as a student on the Forty Acres and we thank her for all that she has contributed to our community!