“I came to Pardes to experience a respite from the world of achievement and competition. Throughout college I worked hard in my classes, spent my summers conducting research, and was constantly think
ing about what profession I wanted to pursue and how I could best prepare myself for it. At Pardes, I’ve found the opportunity to stop, to let myself breathe. Here I’m able to learn not to get ahead but to go within. Through the course of unpacking a sugya, immersing myself in Rav Kook’s introduction to the siddur, or losing myself in a niggun, I am more fully understanding who I am and the kind of person I aspire to be. I am grateful for the space and the learning, and the community at Pardes that are providing me with a uniquely inspiring and introspective time and such enriching relationships.”
Nate grew up around Chicago in a city called Naperville before attending Yale University. At Yale, Nate majored in Cognitive Science, studying the behavior and cognition of domesticated dogs and rhesus macaque monkeys. After graduating college, Nate worked as an EMT in Los Angeles and then came to study at Pardes. This year, in addition to learning Torah, Nate volunteers as an English teacher for African asylum seekers in Jerusalem.
