There’s a story about Kobe Bryant’s legendary work ethic that always stood out to me:

After signing a $130 million contract to extend his career with the Lakers, Kobe just said “Let’s get to work,” and headed to the practice facility right after the press conference.

Even though he could have rested on his laurels and checked out for a while, Kobe had the insight and focus to continue practicing and growing without skipping a beat.

I love this story! Every year around this time in August, things quiet down a bit. Our fiscal year ends August 31 so the fundraising cycle is just about done. And most grad schools are just getting started so their programming is on the lighter side. JGSI had an amazing run in the 22-23 and matured a lot as an organization this past year. There are many laurels for us to rest on right about now. But I’m not.

Our tradition teaches otherwise: “If you planted early in the season, plant late in the season, as you do not know which will endure for you, the early or the late” (Midrash, based on Ecclesiastes).

Just like Kobe, I’m ready to get to work.

We’ve spent the summer developing an amazing strategy and vision for expanding our depth of engagement for Jewish grads and alumni this coming year. We have more students than ever knocking on our door in need of Jewish community and I am ready to meet their challenge for more. This year I'm challenging myself and our organization to do more this year than we ever have before so we can make this vision a reality. And that will take expanded fundraising, more programming, more building. I love a new challenge!  

I’m excited for what’s to come and to see how much we can all accomplish together for Jewish grads. Let’s get to work!