Class Photo

e
Here is a class photo of my Bar Ilan IMBA class.

Our class consists of 25 students, from all around the world.
The two older persons in the front row are the program administrator and director, respectively. In terms of nationality, 3 are from England, 2 from Russia, 1 from Belgium, 1 from Switzerland, 1 from Australia, 1 from Canada, 2 are Israeli, and the other 14 of us are Americans. Some plan to stay, but 3/4 will return to their home countries within two years. Most are men (as you can see in the photo), and there is one woman missing from our photo. 3/4 of my classmates are "religious." All the men in the photo wearing white shirts with black pants go to yeshiva (religious study) daily as well as the IMBA program. I'm the second oldest student, and the average age is closer to 23 or 24.

That's our breakdown. My eyes have certainly opened to other worlds this year -- I've had long discussions with my ultra-orthodox, chassidic, and orthodox classmates about their religious practices and told them about mine. I've learned about life in Russia, and as a Chinese minority in Israel.

I really have received an education here, and not just in class. I'm glad to have met people with whom I NEVER would have interacted with otherwise. That is the goal of education, right? To learn and exchange ideas, develop and grow.

I've tried to do that this year, in more ways than one.