I think everyone has struggled with self-esteem in some way at some point in their life. For me, I have always been less social, content with my friends as they were, and not expanding my network. When I started expanding outside of this known circle of people, I noticed that I thought more about how I acted and how I looked. This was a startling realization.

My first 4Front program was Peer Leadership Fellows last school year. In this program, I learned to connect with many Jewish peers and if needed, aid them in finding Jewish programming that would interest them, deepening their connection to Judaism.

This year, I decided to partake in the Social Innovation Fellowship, a program centered on creating a social enterprise that betters the world. After being assigned a team based on similar interests and synergetic personalities, we found our problem and set out to solve it through a social venture.

4Front’s programs have forced me to be more comfortable outside of my comfort zone. Peer Leadership Fellows allowed me to connect with many people whom I hadn’t talked to in a long time, reforging connections and reducing this self-consciousness. The exposure that I gained from 4Front has allowed me to approach meeting new people in a more confident manner. To those struggling with self-esteem, I recommend challenging the negative thoughts that you may have because they likely have little merit in the grand scheme of things.