My name is Sophie Harris and I am from San Diego, California. I was on Aardvark Israel last year, of Fall 2020/spring 2021. After having the absolute BEST YEAR OF MY LIFE, I completely fell in love with Israel and decided to move here! I am now currently living in Tel Aviv with my best friend Charley Taylor, who I met on Aardvark.
I wanted to take a gap year because school had never been a place where I felt my most confident so I didn’t feel excited to jump into 4 years of college. I wanted more time to grow so I started looking into alternative options and Aardvark Israel was a program that stood out to me for many reasons. Aardvark offers the perfect balance and structure in my opinion. On Aardvark I was able to have an incredible internship working at Gan Hashikumi, a rehabilitation preschool for toddlers with special needs. I also took a Hebrew class, went on amazing field trips every Tuesday, and had weekends and evenings free so I was able to travel independently and explore Israel with my best friends.
The impact Aardvark Israel has had on my life is tremendous. I made lifelong friends (with my staff as well), created forever lasting memories, and fell in love with Israel. If you asked me a year ago if I was going to move to Israel after my program I would think you were crazy. Now I’m out here living my best life, happier than ever, and I take so much pride in my Jewish identity which I never felt comfortable expressing at home. I will forever thank Aardvark for everything they have provided me with and for their continued support with my move back to Israel ❤️
