A Welcome to Stefanie Shapiro from Rabbi Roxanne Shapiro, Director of Lifelong Learning   

Please welcome Stefanie Shapiro to IHC.  Stefanie will serve as our Learning Experience Coordinator (LEC) working primarily with Derech Torah and the Jewish Learning Program, but not exclusively. While the title is new, the position is a melding of positions IHC had previously divided among multiple part-time education staff members.  This merged position will allow us to strengthen our Jewish Learning Program, including the Hebrew Intensives and learner inclusion, to enhance our Derech Torah program, and to provide a variety of learning engagement opportunities for our youth and their families.

As you will see from Stefanie’s bio below (and as you get to know her), her education, her professional experiences, and her passion will be a wonderful addition to our creative and dedicated education team (along with Matt Hastings, Youth Engagement Coordinator, and Barbara Chapman, Education Administrative Assistant). As a member of the IHC staff, you will see her hand in many of our congregational programs. Having worked at GUCI this past summer, (where I first met her – no relation among the Shapiros), Stefanie will be a familiar face to many of our students.  We are so fortunate that she has joined our IHC community!

Get to know Stefanie Shapiro!

Stefanie Shapiro is a young Jewish professional with a passion for youth inclusion. Originally from New Jersey, Stefanie comes to Indiana by way of Chicago. She recently graduated from National Louis University with a Masters in Special Education and received a Bachelor of Arts in History and Elementary Education (K-12) certification from Ramapo College of New Jersey.

While in graduate school in Chicago, Stefanie spent two years as a student life team member for PACE at National Louis: a post-secondary program designed to meet the transitional needs for young adults with multiple intellectual, learning, and developmental disabilities. Stefanie assisted students with social skills, life skills, employment skills, and various mental health challenges. At Ramapo College of New Jersey Stefanie was a resident assistant to first-year students for two years. During her senior year Stefanie was the Student Assistant Resident Director for a first-year residence hall and was honored with the Ambassador of Positive Influence award.

Stefanie grew up at Temple Emanu-El in Edison, NJ attending URJ Camp Harlam and participating in youth group. Throughout high school, Stefanie was on her youth group’s board and was an active member of NFTY GER. Stefanie has worked as a counselor at multiple Jewish summer camps. She was on the RUACH (Raising Understanding and Awareness of Campers at Harlam) team at URJ Camp Harlam in Pennsylvania, and inclusion specialist at Camp JCA Shalom in California, and most recently spent a summer on the leadership team at URJ Camp GUCI.

As an avid traveler, Stefanie is looking forward to exploring Indianapolis and getting to know the IHC community. She is excited to live in Indiana and continue the journey of being a Jewish professional.