SJR’s own Jared Wilen elected as international president of AZA

BBYO BLOCK



JARED WILEN

JARED WILEN

During BBYO’s International Convention, South Jersey Region’s very own Jared Wilen was elected to be the 96th Grand Aleph Godol (international president) of the Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA) organization. SJR is all very proud of Jared.

Running for International Board is a rigorous seven-week process consisting of about 9-10 steps. These steps include calls, interviews, writing, and lots of reflections. In order to be qualified to run for International Board, candidates must have a great sense of time management and have a big passion for BBYO, the movement, and the position.

Over the past school year, Jared has been serving as the Grand Aleph S’gan (vice president of programming) on the international level as well. He tells us that serving as the Grand Aleph S’gan helped prepare him for this year’s election because it gave him a full understanding of the organization and how it really functions. Along with his position, Jared also coordinated the International Convention over President’s Day Weekend, which he deemed an unbelievable experience to work on.

Jared’s IC experience was only enhanced during elections. After hearing his name announced as the winner, he was able to let out a sigh of relief. Over the entire long weekend, he was able to see his work as S’gan pay off with the success that IC brought to the movement, and it all culminated with the beginning of next year’s journey as the 96th Grand Aleph Godol.

As International President of the AZA, Jared is taking on many new responsibilities, some of which include visiting as many BBYO communities as possible, either virtually or in-person, and helping them in any way necessary to continue to further the movement. Jared said, “I’m excited to see where we get with Aleph engagement in the next year. We had a lot of building blocks this past year and I’m very excited to see how we can expand off of them.”

Another part that comes with travelling as one of the International Presidents of the movement is taking a gap year for the next school year. Jared is very excited to take this next year of his life and spend it working with BBYO. He said that especially in the weeks since he was elected at IC, he has felt so much passion, and has been so excited to get to work.

When asked about any advice he would give to someone looking into running for International Board, Jared gave a few tips. He said that any candidate must really love BBYO; it must be a top priority. He also noted that there are ups and downs with being on International Board, but the most important thing is that anyone who serves on International Board leaves a huge impact on the organization.

Looking back on his five years as a member of SJR, Jared felt well prepared for the new responsibility he is taking on next year. The conventions, learning experiences, and the people around him have shaped him into the leader he is today. Opportunities such as trips to the Holocaust museum, donor fund activities, and other elevated experiences prepared him to be ready for programming on the international level. He said that coming from South Jersey Region was an adjustment because he has been working with communities that don’t function the same way that we do, but he has enjoyed learning new things.

Jared said that it is an honor for him to represent South Jersey for the second consecutive year on the international board of BBYO. Mazel Tov Jared!

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