Grace B. – University of Florida, Summer 2016

“Going into the Onward Israel program, I didn’t know anyone else, however, everyone here has quickly become a family to me and I’m lucky to have such an amazing group.

I’m interning at a startup company called FirstOfferz where I help them develop their demo product through html/css and JavaScript. I didn’t know anything about Web Development before this internship, but I’ve already learned so much at work and I hope to learn more once I get back to school.

My favorite organized trip during this program was our visit to Sderot where we learned about the Gaza Strip and the Israeli cities surrounding it. Also, I was able to take a weekend trip with some friends to Jerusalem and it was such an amazing experience being able to go there for the first time without a tour guide/group.

As my days of being a local are coming to an end, It’s funny to see more people asking me questions in Hebrew (even though I have no clue what they’re saying) rather than people just yelling “Taglit?!” at me like they did the first few weeks. Overall this has been the best summer I’ve ever had and although I’m excited to go home and see my friends/family, I know I’ll miss Israel and everyone from this group so much.”