Brandeis Bridges
A Partnership between Brandeis Black Students Organization (BBSO), Brandeis Israel Public Affairs Committee (BIPAC), and Martin Luther King & Friends (MLK)
2013-2014 Brandeis Bridges Fellows
Alex Thomson '15
Alex Thomson (Co-President of Brandeis Israel Public Affairs Committee) is the Junior Student Representative to the Board of Trustees. A rising junior, Alex is pursuing majors in Politics and an Independent Interdisciplinary Major in Public Policy. Originally from Los Angeles, Alex graduated from New Community Jewish High School in 2011 before coming to Brandeis. Alex currently works as an office assistant in the Office of the President at Brandeis, serves as a Community Advisor for a first-year dorm, and serves as the President of the Brandeis Israel Public Affairs Committee (BIPAC).
Ryan Yuffe '15
Amaris Brown '16
Cynthia Jackson '16
Ryan Yuffe is the Co-President of (BIPAC) Brandeis' Israel Public Affairs Committee. He is 19, and a junior at Brandeis University. While president of BIPAC, he helped found Brandeis Bridges, an initiative to bridge the gap between the black and Jewish communities at Brandeis. At Brandeis he is majoring in Politics and Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, with a minor in International and Global Studies He speaks Russian and Hebrew, and is studying Arabic. He was a reporter for Israel Campus Beat and blogged regularly for The Jewish Daily Forward's 'Blognik Beat.'
Amaris D. Brown (class of 2016) is the Co-President of WOCA (Women of Color Alliance), a Defense Specialist on the Women’s Volleyball Team, a peer mentor in Waltham Group’s “Afternoon Enrichment,” an active mentor of BBSO (Brandeis Black Student Organization), a Martin Luther King Scholar, and a committed member of its club. Amaris is a graduate of Brooklyn Friends, an independent High School in N.Y. based on the Quaker values of service, community, inclusion and respect. She comes to Brandeis with leadership experience in organizing and facilitating diversity awareness initiatives. She is passionate about celebrating the differences and commonalities that shape individuals, and hopes that her work with “Brandeis Bridges” will foster a learning environment through the exploration, understanding and appreciation of the Jewish and Black communities.
Cynthia D’Anne Jackson is President of MLK and Friends (Martin Luther King Jr. and Friends). She was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia, but graduated from Horizon Christian Academy in San Diego, California. She is an 18 year old sophomore and studies History, English, and Secondary Education. Her other interests include volunteer work and a passion for cooking.