Today we’d like to introduce you to Ethan Sobel.
Ethan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m a small-town suburbian kid at heart. Originally, I am from Longmeadow, MA. I remained close to home for college, attending Commonwealth Honors College & Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst for my Bachelor’s degree. During that time, I was honored to be chosen as the student commencement speaker at the UMass Commonwealth Honors College – a moment I’ll never forget. After undergraduate school, my bags were packed and I headed east to complete my Master’s degree in Communication at Boston University.
My narrative is unique in that there were constantly many moving parts. I spent several years working in collegiate athletics in a variety of roles and institutions. Additionally, I served on two (2) advocacy non-profits prior to landing a more permanent position at my current position, at Boston University Hillel. I began as the Director of Student Life for two (2) years and now serve as the Assistant Director of one of the country’s largest Hillel organizations in the world – serving thousands of students at BU. Also, I have continued pursuing multiple passions on the side and take on several extracurricular roles including classical cello, LGBTQ Educator and Advocate, and Public Address Announcer. I am currently a performing member of the Brookline Symphony Orchestra; Co-Founder of Levi & Whitney Harmonies; a regional speaker and educator for Greater Boston PFLAG; Captain in the FLAG (Friends of LGBTQ People) Flag Football and Beantown LGBTQ Softball League; and Public Address announcer at Harvard, URI, and BU. Lastly, have also had the honor of serving on the Boards of FLAG Football and the Boston University Jewish Cultural Endowment.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nobody’s journey is totally smooth sailing – at least that’s what career counselors told me! Mine was a mixture of personal and professional passions melding with challenges. After serving in college athletics for several years as an intern and professional, I spent a bit of time working for the New York Knicks during my undergraduate career. Those experiences, mixed with coming out as gay male 22-year old, helped propel me into my core interest; serving and inspiring young adults. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel the world with students, serving impoverished communities, learning about personal identity exploration, and opening hearts and minds. Mexico, Israel, and South Africa are a few of the places I’ve mused around with my students.
All along the way, I have tried not to lose any part of what I love to do – even if it was not full-time, such as performing as a cellist, being an activist for inclusion, or providing leadership to athletic based organizations. Finally, I have to give a shout out to the people who know me best and who have consistently supported me, celebrated life with me, and picked me up when I was knocked down or in the face of struggle…my sister, mother, father, extended cousins, friends, mentors, and colleagues. These core people enrich my life on a daily basis, and make everything worthwhile.
BU Hillel – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
BU Hillel is the center for Jewish life at Boston University, serving 4,000-5,000 Jewish students. We are unique as both a nonprofit 501(c) (3) and a department of BU. In my role I work to oversee our student life team, support fundraising efforts, and serve as a senior leader of the organization. We are unique in that we serve such a large student population, but also that we are a center that subscribes to student interest and passions, and does not prescribe for them. We firmly believe that each journey students’ embark upon is unique and special. We leverage a variety of innovative tools to help students find meaning and joy in their lives – whether its social entrepreneurial projects, fellowship based learning, immersive social justice trips, celebrations, career and academic mentoring and more.
I’ve been fortunate and humbled by some pretty incredible honors over my career – being recognized in 2015 by the BU Dean of Students as an Advisor of the Year; being named an Exemplar of Excellence by the CEO of Hillel International, the highest recognition given to a field professional (among thousands); and most recently being among 10 Hillel professionals selected internationally for the 1.5 year Accelerate Executive Director Training Program.
I am most proud of the impact we at BU Hillel have had across the University and beyond – everything from providing vibrant student life programmatic offerings to collaborating with colleagues on thought-leadership for large scale events, diversity and inclusion practices, strategic innovation, fundraising and alumni relations, and more.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Being a people person. It’s a tale as old as time (pun intended), but it rings true time and time again. I have risen to successful heights because of who I know, not always necessarily because of what I know. The most important lesson I ever learned in college (and perhaps life) was from a lifelong mentor, Professor Laurie Priest, while at UMass – “be authentically you, and don’t apologize for it. Advocate for yourself and follow your dreams.” The time I have spent getting to know mentors, advisors, parents of friends, new social circles, etc. has greatly enhanced my mental and emotional well-being, but also my career. People who have believed in me have had no hesitation picking up the phone and saying, “hire this guy!” I certainly have had some fortunate situations along the way, and worked hard academically and professional to hone my skills and abilities – but it is the connections that matter. People want to be in authentic, real relationships with others – it helps them grow, inspires them, and invokes a contagious sense of vivacity in their hearts and minds.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.leviwhitney.com
- Email: sobel.ethan@gmail.com
- Instagram: defense202
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-sobel-a3827028/
Image Credit:
Photo credit to Matthew Modoono Photography
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