Aug 10, 2017 By: admin
Avigail Goldberger of Bergenfield, New Jersey: A Passion for Science
In the coming weeks, Yeshiva University will welcome hundreds of new students to its undergraduate campuses across the United States and countries around the world. Meet the incoming class as they share in their own words what excites them about beginning their academic journeys at YU at this year's Orientation.
Where are you from?
I’m from Bergenfield, New Jersey.
Why did you decide to come to Yeshiva University?
My mother graduated from Stern College for Women and the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, so YU has always been a familiar name in my home. When it came time for me to make my own college decision, I researched multiple options and ultimately felt that my twin academic and Judaic needs could best be met by a YU education.
What are you excited to try at YU?
I’m excited to study pretty much all of the sciences, especially since I’ve always heard such wonderful feedback about Stern’s biology, chemistry, and rapidly growing computer science departments. I’m also incredibly grateful that my Judaic classes will never have to fall by the wayside, even as I work toward my secular degree. Outside of class, I look forward to finding research opportunities, joining clubs (I can’t wait to learn more about which ones are available!), maybe writing for the school paper, and overall just having opportunities to get to know my classmates.
Sometimes I find I can truly appreciate various academic areas of Torah study yet lack a certain element of emotional passion which would make those topics come fully alive. As a YU student, I hope that experiencing Torah firsthand from some of Judaism’s most passionate and intellectual scholars will imbue me with even more of a deep-rooted spiritual enthusiasm for my learning.
What are you passionate about?
To be honest, my most overwhelming passion is curiosity for its own sake. The world is filled with nuanced complexities, and I want to understand them as much as I reasonably can. This often translates into a minor science obsession. Science concepts are life’s background soundtracks, and I find them completely fascinating. But curiosity is really an undercurrent driving my overall love of learning. It’s the intellectual version of stopping to smell the roses. I just don’t want to forget to appreciate the amazing areas of knowledge that G-d put into this world for me to uncover. Between writing, literature, psychology, math, neurology, history, random trivia, and so many other ideas to explore, I sometimes feel like a kid in a candy shop.
What are you hoping to do professionally?
Choosing a career is going to be quite an adventure for me, since I could see myself happily ending up anywhere in the scientific or medical universe. As of now, at least, I hope to pursue a role in the medical field. I love that medicine demands such a strong scientific bedrock and also holds the power to transform people’s lives. It is both a humbling and awe-inspiring profession.
Read additional profiles of the incoming class:
- Daniel Gottesman of Lincolnwood, Illinois: Israel Defense Forces Veteran
- Reena Wasserstein of Silver Spring, Maryland: Exploring Diplomacy in the Middle East
- Yehudah Goldfeder of Monsey, New York: Intrigued by Artificial Intelligence
- Bailey Frohlich of Boca Raton, Florida: From Tennis to Tanach
- Elen-Sarrah Dolgopolskaia of Buffalo, New York: Fascinated by Neuroscience