Alumni Spotlight: Ethan White, Class of 2018

Ethan White is a proud UD & AEPi alumni and new member of our Hillel Board of Directors! He spoke to us about his Hillel story and how it has impacted him to this day.

Tell us about your Hillel connection. How did Hillel impact you while at UD?

Hillel was a vital part of my college experience. Through Hillel, I realized my career path, made friends that have lasted a lifetime, and grew into a Jewish adult. Donna and the staff gave me every single one of the tools I needed to be successful in my career, connecting me to Jewish organizations like AEPi that launched my career. From beginning my college journey with Fresh Fest, to visiting Israel on Birthright, to becoming Hillel President, Hillel at UD was my home base throughout my time at UD.

What made you want to join Hillel at UD’s Board of Directors?

I definitely wasn’t expecting to become a Board Member at Hillel, but when Donna reached out to me I knew it was a great opportunity to give back to the community that has given me so much. I’m also on the Board of my local Jewish Community Relations Council in Indianapolis where I live, and being able to bring my skill set in Jewish leadership building to both the JCRC and Hillel Boards has been a great experience so far. I encourage other young adults who are interested in giving back to the causes they care about to ask those organizations if they need Board Members. It’s important that we are able to show up for the communities that we are a part of.

We’d love to hear more about your work at AEPi, and the award you just received. Congratulations!

Thank you! I recently received the AEPi Cohon Family Leadership Award, recognizing my impact on the fraternity as an alumni. As AEPi’s Howard M. Lorber Director of Programming, I lead our Jewish, Israel, Leadership, Civic Engagement and Philanthropic Programming initiatives on both the international and local level. After October 7th and the resulting rise in antisemitism, I worked with campus administrators across the country to ensure that our AEPi brothers, and all Jewish students, had resources available to them to fight hate and promote Jewish unity. It has been a challenging year for certain, but I am so grateful to be able to work directly with our Jewish men on campus and increase the quality of the AEPi Undergraduate experience.

What advice would you give to current Jewish students at UD?

Beyond exploring Hillel and rushing AEPi if they are considering a fraternity experience, I would remind them that your GPA and test scores aren’t as important as the relationships you create in college. Without the friendships and mentors I made at Hillel, I know I would not be where I am today!