JELF Alumni fueling the future We go further when you give back.

Anya W.

Anya was only three when her family emigrated from the former Soviet Union. Forced to flee from the Nagorno-Karabakh War, her family was able to find sponsorship through the Greensboro Jewish Federation.

Though on food stamps for most of her childhood, her family was able to build a life in the U.S. Her grandmother nannied. Her grandfather worked odd jobs. Thanks to JELF, Anya’s mother was able to go back to school for an M.S. in public health and a Ph.D. in epidemiology.

Anya decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps. With the help of JELF, as well as her family, federal loans and work/study, she graduated from Emory University’s Anthropology and Global Health program.

Following undergrad, JELF also helped Anya pay for Wake Forest Medical School. Today, Anya is working toward her dream as a resident of Stanford’s Emergency Medicine program.

Natalie A.

JELF has helped me achieve my higher education. As a first generation college student, it’s so important for me to strive higher and create opportunities for myself that my parents didn’t receive. By obtaining my degree, I can continue on to represent immigrants in our justice system and help them get better opportunities.

Emma L.

Growing up in a single parent household with two younger sisters and working three jobs at a time, I was always worried about being able afford to chase my dream job. However, because of the aide I received from JELF I have been able to move to Nashville, TN from Savannah, GA to pursue a degree in counseling, with an emphasis in school counseling, at Vanderbilt University.

Not only am I now able to chase after my dream job, but I am being led on this journey by top ranked professors in a nationally renowned program. I never could have imagined being where I am today, but thanks to JELF, I’m breaking boundaries I previously thought impossible. While I faced several challenges in the last year with COVID, a robbery, and the passing of a few close family members, I have been able to put my focus aside from finances and focus on the things at hand. I cannot thank all of the JELF donors enough for providing me with these opportunities, and I am eager to begin paying it forward.

Steve W.

“JELF’s last dollars loans helped me afford my education at Emory University and the Medical College of Georgia in the 1980s. In times of crazy tuition costs, these funds can allow a student to live in acceptable housing and not be forced to work 40 hours per week, on top of pursuing a full-time degree. I am so happy to give back so our next generation can obtain the most important thing in life – an education.”

Adrienne S.

JELF changed my life. They supported with an undergraduate loan that allowed for me to be in minimal debt following my education. The staff was so warm, helpful and supportive. I know my parents felt relieved by my support from JELF and I know the only way to thanks them will to one day be able to give someone else the scholarship funding they need!

Diana F.

Diana was born in the former Soviet Union, present-day Belarus, and immigrated as a child. She was always drawn to medicine and helping children. She volunteered at hospitals and studied hard in high school, but even after merit based scholarships, she needed to find a way to pay for her education. JELF helped her get through Emory University’s rigorous pre-med program and medical school at Medical College of Georgia. Today she is a pediatric hematology/oncology fellow at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. As she wrote in a thank you to our donors, “JELF has played a very important role in my life and I hope that one day I will be able to assist students with their goals as you have assisted me.”

Destiny A.

JELF’s support has allowed me to pursue my dreams of making a positive impact on the community in all that I do. Because of the funding I received in both degree programs, I was able to successfully graduate and find a job doing what I love. Working as a Long-Range Planner for the City of Edmond, OK, I am able to enact real change in the lives of residents. I would not be where I am today without the support of JELF.

Jenna O.

Chiropractic school is insanely expensive, however, it’s the career where I know I’m going to love what I do and to be able to help so many people. JELF is helping me pay my way through school and reduce my debt on the back end. I am so grateful for this organization!

Heath P.

“I had the good fortune of being accepted by an excellent in-state school, but paying for it was another question. I was eligible for federal grants and government-backed loans, and I was even eligible for a work-study program. Despite maximizing all of these, I was still short of funds I needed to pay for college.

Without JELF’s support, I would not have been able to meet my financial obligations and likely would have not been able to earn my degree. JELF funding made it possible for me to go to college.”

Jacky L.

The traditional (non-JELF) financial aid gave me just enough to cover tuition, books, and some of my housing. The financial assistance provided generously through JELF covered living expenses that allowed me the opportunity to further my education through extracurricular experiences, rather than having to spend that time working a part-time job. These experiences helped me get a job at IBM in New York and begin my startup.

These extracurriculars involved me exploring emerging technologies in an innovation competition where I created an application to streamline traditional and autonomous parking with an IoT-enabled parking garage. I co-founded the FSU Sports Analytics Club which served as a consulting organization to FSUs Division 1 athletic department. This eventually positioned me to serve as a director for the Inaugural Sports Analytics Summit. I also was a runner-up in an FSU Startup Competition with my company Athlogic, a free application to help HS football teams take stats and then college football teams buy those stats for sabermetric recruiting and to automatically clip game film.

Ilana L.

Ilana had her mind set on going out of state for college. She wanted to meet new people and move farther from home. Yet, coming from a home with a single mom supporting two kids, she was told she’d have to find a way to pay for the out-of-state expenses. At 18 she didn’t truly understand what a loan or interest meant. When her mom suggested JELF, however, she knew it would save her a lot of money in the long run. With JELF, along with her federal loan and a partial scholarship, she was able to study Social Work at the University of Alabama.

After working for a county outside of Atlanta, she decided to help people in a different way. She found a career in recruiting and is now a part of Home Depot’s recruiting team. She was able to pay off her loan, but she wanted to do more. She approached JELF and joined the Visibility Committee and she has donated to help other students with interest-free loans. “I wanted to give back and help other Jewish students.”

Sophia C.

JELF has allowed me to further my education. I have wanted to be a physical therapist since high school and I am gratefully to finally be able to achieve my goals with the help of JELF.