What can I say about the past four years that has not already been said?
After a year studying in Israel, I arrived in Binghamton armed with my Yeshiva’s concern about the ‘secular devil’ that is college.
To my great relief, I found a vibrant Jewish community with a wealth of opportunities to offer. From the 7:00 AM wakeup calls for davening that practically forced my first roommate to move out, to the endless kosher kitchen shifts, I was able to stay involved in the community.
Despite the thousands of students that Chabad helps every year, I always felt important and a part of what was going on. On Friday nights, after a busy week of school there were always good friends to sit with and usually a cheerful request to help out in the kitchen. Random seniorly advice: pasta salad (w/o the vegetables) tastes great in the soup.
I remember when Chabad was half its present size, and there were so many people that I had to sit outside (for some reason, it never occurred to me to pick a seat before they were all taken).
I was also fortunate enough to be involved during the JSU’s transition to an official Hillel two years ago (why couldn’t we keep the couch?)
I will always remember the friends that I made and my great home away from home in Binghamton.