Name: Hannah Cohn
Major: Psychology
Year: Junior
Hometown: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
HC: What organizations are you involved in on campus?
Hannah: I am a sister of the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority. I am also active in the Jewish community on campus and involved with Hillel.
HC: What has been your best experience at Pitt so far?
Hannah: The best experience I have had at Pitt so far was the opportunity to go abroad this summer on an internship program in Israel. We were placed in fields that we’re interested in pursuing careers in. I worked with a fashion designer, Gal Stern.
HC: That’s awesome! What did your internship involve?
Hannah: I worked four days of the week. It was a regular 9-5 job and I was there for a bit over two months. I was the Marketing Director for her company, Gal Stern Luxury Tights. It was a great opportunity to learn the business side of the fashion industry, which is something I am very interested in. I learned so much because I worked directly with the designer and CEO of the company. It was definitely an opportunity that I could not get in the United States!
HC: Were you affected by the ongoing conflict during your time there this summer?
Hannah: Yes, in addition to the amazing internship, I was there during Protective Edge (when the Israeli Defense Force had to enter the Gaza Strip). I was excited to truly live like an Israeli while I was working there, but it became an experience that was even more eye opening and unforgettable when the war began.
HC: How so? Why did it impact you so much?
Hannah: I was so excited to work in Israel and really feel like an Israeli. I never expected that I would have to run to bomb shelters multiple times during a single day, or see remnants of rockets on sidewalks near work. I never expected to see rockets in the sky and to literally have to run for my life. Luckily, I never felt unsafe due to all the resources Israel established to ensure our safety. It was so inspiring to see how Israelis lived through this tough time. They still went to work and to school. They did not stop living their lives, and it was something truly admirable to witness.
HC: It sounds like a life changing experience. What have you brought back from your experience in Israel to your life at Pitt?
Hannah: I learned so much from both from my internship and from living in Israel during an unfortunate time. I saw the difficulties in running a small business and the successes as well. I have a better idea of what direction to go in pertaining to my career, and that is something really exciting! Pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, I have taken away something very valuable that I think applies to life at Pitt and life beyond, and that is to not always believe the first thing you are told. It is so important to ask questions, do your research, and understand that there will always be two viewpoints. Learn both arguments so you can form an opinion based on accurate information and the facts.
HC: How have you used your experiences or plan on using them to make a difference at Pitt?
Hannah: When I came back from Israel, I really wanted to get involved in something on campus pertaining to educating people on what happened this summer from a personal standpoint. I really just wanted to tell people what I saw and what I experienced because I realized a lot of news was not telling the entire story. I am an intern with The David Project along with a few other students. It is an advocacy organization that focuses on building relationships with other groups on campus in order to make our campus a stronger and more connected place. Hopefully, this can help students find common ground and help make the topic of Israel a more inclusive topic.
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