Throughout her Fellowship, Cami Tussie had a few main goals. She wanted to foster inter-faith relationships and she wanted to help Jewish students at Stanford University gain a stronger sense of Jewish identity.
To cultivate inter-faith relationships, Tussie planned various cultural events. One of the events was called the Festival of Lights. This was a joint celebration with the Indian Student Association to celebrate both Hanukkah and Diwali. She also organized inter-racial dinners with a few other peers. Together they created groups of 4-5 Stanford students from different religions to enjoy dinner and learn more about each other’s backgrounds.
Tussie also wanted to engage with Jewish students who were not as involved with Jewish events on her campus. To do this, Tussie organized a “Jewish Special D: The Matzah Ball” party where Jewish students came together outside of a traditional Hillel setting to enjoy their time together. This event helped students form bonds with each other and with their personal Jewish identities through dancing, eating and drinking.
