Columbia
Franklin and Marshall College

Valerie Bigio grew up in Cali, Colombia, and currently attends Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, where she is pursuing a major in Psychology and a minor in French. Valerie is deeply involved in Jewish life on campus and is an active member of the American Sign Language (ASL) Club. After spending four years in a Jewish pluralistic boarding school, she continued her journey in Jerusalem, Israel, attending the South American program at Lindenbaum and serving as a madricha at Emunah V’Omanut. As a Nachshon Fellow, Valerie integrates her education in Psychology with her passion for Jewish education. She aspires to become a Jewish educator dedicated to fostering inclusivity and personal growth within her community.

Evanston, IL
Johns Hopkins University

Zachary Bahar, from Evanston, IL grew up in a Conservative family with two sisters and two dogs. Zachary is currently a senior studying Math and Near Eastern/Jewish Studies at Johns Hopkins, working on a senior thesis on the Independent Minyan Movement. He loves to talk about almost anything in Torah but particularly love Jewish philosophy (recently Ralbag, Spinoza, and Crescas) and Gemara (currently learning Makkot and Chagiga). Zachary will also be exhilarated to discuss Tolkien, Sanderson, cycling, art museums, or D&D. After college, he hopes to enter the rabbinate and spend his life supporting and shaping Jewish communities.