Alumni Spotlight

List of 14 news stories.

• Gabby Vulakh '16

  Since graduating from Brandeis in 2016, Gabby Vulakh has followed a path defined by intellectual curiosity, service, and a deep commitment to understanding the human experience. After attending Lowell High School, she earned a degree in neuroscience from Brown University, conducted research in both laboratory and clinical settings, and was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to Israel, where she later completed a Master of Disaster Management at Tel Aviv University. This fall, Gabby will begin medical school at UCSF, bringing with her a unique perspective shaped by neuroscience, global health, disaster response, and Jewish community. 

• Gabe Schumm '11

  

  After graduating from Brandeis, Gabe attended Lowell High School and then UC Berkeley. He  graduated in 2019 with a Bachelors in Physics. He continued his physics education at Boston  University, earning a Ph.D. in 2025. His thesis explored the use of computational simulations  to study phenomena in quantum magnetism. 

  
  Now he's pivoted to pursue a career that blends the technical skills developed during his  studies with his lifelong passion for baseball. As a player development analyst for the New York Mets, he hopes to help bring a World Series to Flushing!

• Aidan Lisker ‘12

  Aidan Lisker is a proud graduate of Brandeis. After graduation, Aidan continued her academic career at Lick Wilmerding High School and then matriculated at Washington University in St. Louis for her undergraduate and graduate degrees. Aidan continues to live the values of service and integrity that she learned at Brandeis by pursuing a career in social work. Currently, Aidan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and works with children and their families to support their holistic wellness. 

• Ben Lanir '15

  
  Benjamin Lanir is a Deep Learning Architect at NVIDIA. After graduating from Brandeis he attended Lowell High School, and then UCLA for both his undergraduate and Master’s degrees. Ben’s Master’s degree focused on Artificial Intelligence. Now he studies numerics and their effect on AI model efficiency and accuracy.

• Julie Esther (Bernstein) Silverstein ’94

  
  Julie Silverstein is a messaging strategist and speechwriter who has worked with Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Foreign Minister, and Consulate in New York, as well as leading foundations and nonprofitleaders. She is the co-author of the international bestselling book Chutzpah Girls: 100 Tales of Daring Jewish Women (Koren), and the creator of the Chutzpah Girls Art Exhibit and Chutzpah Store, a social enterprise supporting Jewish feminist projects.

  
  After graduating from Brandeis, Julie attended Lick-Wilmerding High School and earned her B.A. in Political Science and Hebrew from UCLA, summa cum laude. She later received a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School as a Presidential Scholar. She is a U.S. State Department Fulbright Fellow in Israel, a Bertelsmann Foundation Fellow, and a Wexner Heritage Fellow.
  
  

  Julie grew up in the Diamond Heights neighborhood of San Francisco and now lives in Jerusalem with her husband and five children. She recently returned to Brandeis to speak with elementary and upper school students about storytelling, identity, and finding your voice.

• Joseph Bien Kahn '03

  

  Joseph Bien-Kahn is a writer and editor who lives in Los Angeles' Silver Lake neighborhood with his wife, his son, and his dog. For the last decade, he's worked as a freelance journalist, writing profiles and investigative features for GQ, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, and many other publications. In 2024, he was brought on as an editor at Esses, a brand-new Formula 1 magazine that he helped to launch. He covers sports, film, and adventure. 

• Jenna Waldman '08

  
  Jenna Waldman works as an attorney in Washington, D.C.  After graduating from Brandeis in 2008, Jenna attended the Urban School of San Francisco and Brown University. She graduated from Berkeley Law in 2021 and became a law clerk for Judge Paul L. Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and then Judge Florence Y. Pan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Prior to clerking, Jenna worked in the Civil Rights Enforcement Section at the California Department of Justice, where she litigated civil rights cases and conducted state investigations related to police reform. In law school, Jenna was a member of the California Law Review and Berkeley Law's Death Penalty Clinic. 

• Alex Cohen '21

  
  Alex Cohen is an actor, musician, and singer. Alex made her professional debut as Veronica in the Disney+ film, The Slumber Party. Additionally, she has performed in many musicals and is an expert keytar player. Alex is a proud Brandeis alumni and has two sisters who also attended Brandeis, Izzy '23 and Millie '27. She loves to draw, play Dungeons and Dragons and video games.

• Jacob Ganz '11

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jacob Ganz graduated from the University of California, Davis with the highest honor. While at UC Davis, Jacob was the senior international editor for the Davis Political Review, and the Chair of the Internal Affairs Committee of ASUCD, and he completed a history honors thesis. After graduating, he worked for the Tom Steyer Presidential campaign in 2020 and for the Democratic political consulting firm - Ambrosino, Muir, Hansen, and Crounse. Jacob also received a dual master's degree in International and World History from The London School of Economics and Columbia University. He is currently the Program Manager at the Hoover Institution's Wargaming and Crisis Simulation Initiative.

• Jessica Rauch '12

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jessica Rauch graduated from The University of California, Los Angeles Honors College with a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology & Society and a minor in Global Health. While at UCLA, Jessica held an undergraduate research intern position at Stanford School of Medicine, was a Research Assistant at the UCLA Department of Society and Genetics, and was the Director of Tikkun Olam, a leadership position at UCLA Hillel. Jessica also received the Chancellor's Award for Service and Leadership and is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

• Rya Fishman '09

  Rya Fishman is a public defender and an advocate for criminal legal reform and death penalty abolition. After attending The University of San Francisco where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, Rya graduated from Gonzaga University School of Law where she was the founder and President of the Gonzaga Law Innocence Club, a student-led advocacy organization focused on raising awareness of the injustices of the criminal legal system in the form of wrongful convictions and exonerations. She also received the Certificate of Civil and Human Rights from Gonzaga Law, earning a Pro Bono Distinction award. Prior to receiving her J.D., Rya completed internships with the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, ACLU of Northern California, and the American Bar Association. She also speaks Hebrew and received a Certificate in the Jewish Studies and Social Justice program from USF. In her free time, Rya likes to spend time with her family, friends, and dog, Lincoln. 

   
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  Adam Spiegel ‘98

  San Francisco native, Adam Spiegel, is the President and Master Distiller at Corning & Company. The company, originally founded in the pre-prohibition era, was founded on the principles of making high-quality and accessible whiskey. Adam’s original distillery, Sonoma Distilling Company, was one of the first 200 distilleries in the United States in 2010 and one of the earliest in Sonoma County’s wine country. Corning & Company today now services clients for contract production, barrel management, packaging, marketing, and route to market.  With a production and storage facility that amasses over 40,000 square feet, they are one of California's premier distillery partners.
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  Adi Alouf ‘09

  Adi Alouf moved to New York City after graduating from Jewish Community High School to attend List College, which is part of Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) and enables students to pursue a unique joint degree program with Columbia University. Adi earned a BA in Religion from Columbia, a BA in Talmud and Rabbinics from JTS, and an MA in Jewish Ethics from JTS. This fall Adi will return to San Francisco to take on a new role - Director of Student Life at her alma mater, Jewish Community High School, where she will also teach Jewish Studies. 
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  Aiden Sagerman '16

  After graduating from Brandeis, Aiden attended Proof School, a small, math-oriented high school in San Francisco. Currently, he is studying at Columbia University, pursuing a double major in Comparative Literature and Mathematics. Outside of the classroom, you will find Aiden engaged in historical European martial arts, a version of fencing, involving mostly medieval German and early-modern Italian sources with historical weapons, such as longsword, sidesword, and rapiers.