Student Testimonials

“I really enjoyed this program and learned so much from my mentor. My mentor taught me about not only being a consultant at BCG, but by talking to me about the culture in Israel he inspired me to intern at a start up in Israel. I will continue to reach out to my mentor throughout the recruitment cycle and would recommend for anyone to reach out to him!

It was fascinating to learn about my mentor’s background professionally to where he is today as well as his experiences in the IDF and how it has tailored how he works. I learned a lot about the Israel investment space and it was great to discuss how his networks could potentially help with gaining industry experience. It was also great to meet the other fellows over a lovely salt-beef sandwich dinner in London and see the diversity with their backgrounds.

My call with Dan was one of the most genuine and thoughtful mentorship / networking calls I have had to date. We discussed his background through IB / private equity / VC / founding his own VC fund, how to excel in my post-grad role at Point72 next year, how to achieve my goal to manage an investment fund someday (like him), and how he has navigated this year as one of the most intense of his career. I wish I would have learned more about Israel in our first call, so I look forward to circling back with Dan after the new year, and for years to come. I’d like to learn more about his youth in Israel, Vine Ventures’ investment philosophy in the country, and continue to educate myself on the developing situation in the region.

A fascinating conversation about Adina's charity work, experiences building Jewish identity in culture, work with Palestinian children and law career, as well as many insights into politics and government.

I received professional insight from my mentor in a sector of interest and learned from his career experience in the US and Israel. I also had the opportunity to discuss his move to Israel. Form this, I gained a stronger understanding of the specifics of the Israeli financial sector and also how I can continue to foster my connection to the country.

Our second call was great. We caught up about this past semester and my time abroad. It was also very interesting hearing his perspective about Hamas and Palestine (we had talked before regarding Facts on The Ground Michigan). Near the end of the call, the influence of social media, specifically TikTok, came up. Again, interesting to hear how he thinks it’ll shape the future and the impact it’s having on Israeli and American children. We will definitely stay in touch.

A large part of our conversation was about the similarities and differences in terms of skills required and typical workday for careers in banking compared to careers in consulting. Additionally, he offered a large amount of insight into how consulting allows individuals to gain exposure to a diverse set of industries and issues, which can, in turn, create interests that drive one's future career goals.

Asaf and I had a great conversation about entrepreneurship and managing a business. I really enjoyed hearing about his experiences and insights on building his previous company from the ground up. I also gained a deeper understanding of the qualities and skills that are crucial to being successful in the start-up and entrepreneurial space.

We had a wonderful call in which we discussed each other’s background and experiences. Mr. Schuster described how he grew up in NJ but felt drawn back to Israel and decided to spend his adult life there. We also scheduled a follow-up call to open a dialogue about our views of Israel given our different perspectives!

We talked broadly about the technology Venture Capital sector and the nuances of investing in growing startups that offer a high-tech product. We also talked about how one can prepare for a career in VC - different courses, training and internships that might be applicable. Overall, it was an extremely helpful and warm conversation. Noa told me a lot about her career experiences, and it was great getting to know her and establishing a network of support.

Great conversation about Alex's Experiences as an entrepreneur and employee in Europe and the USA. Talked about daily habits and routines as well as emerging market trends around the world. One of the nicest people I’ve ever spoken to and super willing to help.

I participated in this mentorship program in order to gain a world perspective on the financial services industry. That is exactly what I got. The advice I received from my mentor helped me bring the right mindset into my internship. The connections you make in this program are meaningful in every way, and I am grateful to have participated. I would highly recommend this program to anyone interested in learning about financial services through an international lens.

We discussed each of our backgrounds; I gratefully learned of his work as a lawyer, human rights advocate and founder of several organizations such as Jerusalem Institute of Justice. Through our meeting, I expressed an interest in applying for an internship with JIJ, and my plans to self-study the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its human rights implications.

It was fascinating to learn about the Israeli startup scene from my mentor Elle. I appreciate her insight into the most important skills in VC. Overall, this was a great experience!

Over the course of our conversation, the theme of focused largely on skills for success, the development of important skills, and how these skills, positions, and industries related to and differed in Israel. The specific topics varied slightly more and covered what banks seek when hiring, which jobs taught the most important skills, the importance of language in understanding and communicating with others, and more specific aspects of Mr. Ringler’s previous positions and career. Next, the conversation touched on key sectors in the Israeli economy, specifically technology and finance and the key factors that drive those two sectors. Finally, we discussed the best ways to acquire the skills discussed earlier and the significance of being willing to take risks.​

My mentor was very involved and very passionate about the program, his work, and living in Israel. He spoke about the culture of mandatory army service in Israel as well as the abundance of start-ups, as he also is the founder of his own startups. I really enjoyed speaking with Jon and I felt that he had a lot of information to share with me, which I was appreciative of.

The conversation was highly engaging and extremely relevant to my career interests. Michael is working in an entrepreneurial tech venture at the cutting-edge of blockchain applications and was able to provide excellent perspective on how to get involved in the space. We had a very enjoyable debate that challenged both of our perspectives and continue to chat over instant message about blockchain-related topics.

I learned more about the venture capital space and how to start a venture capital firm. I was able to learn insights from someone who was on Forbes 30 Under 30. I also received valuable resources and advice that I will use during recruitment.

Lior was an incredibly interesting person to speak to and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation! Hearing about his experiences being from Israel and going to school in the United States, as well as navigating a finance career, resonated with me deeply and I look forward to further developing our relationship.

As an individual coming from a biology/STEM background, I have been very worried that consulting industries will want business and finance majors only - but Mr. Newman spoke to me a lot about how consulting industries look to see how individuals thinks. He said that all consultants start out as generalist but then as they work for company for a while, they begin to specialize in different fields, and, thus, he said my pre-med and biology background could help me to possibly specialize in healthcare consulting or something of the like. Mr. Newman also had very good tips for me when it came to interviewing.

I really enjoyed having the opportunity to speak with an exciting technology entrepreneur and investor that, without SUNM, I never would have had the chance to meet. He taught me so much about what it takes to be successful in business and in life, as well as the cultural differences between Israel and the US. We talked about the importance of investing in people, over investing in ideas. I learned a lot about Israel as well; Aviv spent some time telling me about the culture and the tremendous growth ever since Israel was founded. We also spoke about the generational difference and how our generation is more willing to start companies. If you want to broaden your horizons, learn something new, or just meet a mentor, sign up for SUNM!

In our conversation, Mr. Rapps discussed his journey to working at Playtika, and gave me advice on what it means to work for corporate development and investments at a large company based in Israel. We also discussed what life was like in Israel compared to other places that he has lived, and he gave me tips on following my entrepreneurial interests at Princeton.

After sharing my background and interests with Dr. Sheffer, I asked her about her line of work and what inspired her to pursue educational psychology. We also discussed differences between the American education system and the Israeli education system. I asked Dr. Sheffer a few more questions about her views on education such as what makes a good educator and what Dr. Sheffer's personal goals are in her work. We concluded the conversation by discussing my future independent work and Dr. Sheffer suggested that I look into the Self-Determination Theory.