Hailing from Monsey, NY, Rivka Jacob graduated from Revel this past January with a concentration in Medieval Jewish History. At Revel, she valued the accessibility of her professors, many of whom are distinguished scholars. She also appreciated the fact that some of her classes brought her into close contact—literally—with the material of Jewish research. Rivka recalls Professor Sid Leiman bringing rare books to show his class and the authentic historical feeling that experience engendered. Commenting on her Revel education, Rivka says: If I had to describe the greatest thing that Revel gave me, it would be this: an awareness of the expanse of academic Jewish studies. In Four Quartets, T. S. Elliot writes: “We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” His words encapsulate my graduate school experience—starting with a perspective from which I loved Jewish Studies, to an awareness of the vastness of the field, and how much there is to know about it. Coming to that realization was a wonderful experience. After completing her Revel degree, Rivka began pursuing some of her other interests—like taking a cosmetics course and exploring her love of art. Yet her experience at Revel was so positive such that was eager to remain involved with the school and help others get the most out of their Revel connection. And so, Rivka has joined the Revel administrative team, assisting Rona Steinerman (Revel’s Director of Admissions and Student Affairs) in working to strengthen the Revel Alumni community by informing them of Revel news and events via email and through the new Revel Facebook page. Visit Rivka on Mondays and Tuesdays at the new Revel Welcome Desk. This article was written by Elianna Mitnick, a current Revel MA student