My name is Emily Willrich, and I am originally from Wellesley, Massachusetts. I came on Aardvark in Spring 2021.
Originally, I never planned to go on a gap year. Then COVID hit, and I wanted to make sure I would get a full in-person college experience. After a lot of thought, I decided to take a gap year in Israel in order to explore my connection to Judaism and experience independent living in a foreign country.
I made amazing friends through Aardvark from all over the world and gained confidence that helped me transition to college. Aardvark’s trips were an awesome way to explore Israel’s incredible nature, culture, and history, which allowed me to form a strong connection to Israel and want to return to this country again and again.
Mostly, I loved learning how to immerse myself in a new environment.
I am now studying history at Harvard University & involved with Hillel and Tamid on campus 🙂 This summer, I am back in Tel Aviv, interning at Voyantis, a high-tech startup.
