Bridget Cook

For Stephanie Blockston, helping others has always been second nature. From a young age, she was taught to serve those in need as she gained hands-on volunteer experience. Now as an adult serving through the Jewish Connection Network (JCN), an agency of The Associated, she’s taking her passion for helping to a new level — leaving her day job as a part-time schoolteacher in order to focus more on volunteer efforts. She’s even getting her own kids involved! Read our interview with Stephanie and learn some of the ways she’s helping make the world a better place.

For Asella Medina-Smith, the journey of self-discovery has been a fun one, and this current era is one of the most exciting yet. Asella is working with The Associated’s Young Adult Division (YAD) as a 2024 ambassador for Camp Nai — an all-inclusive Jewish summer camp experience for adults. Her job? Get other young people as excited about camp as she is and spread the joy of Jewish community.

Growing up in Jewish Baltimore gave Jeanie an incredible sense of community and cultural appreciation from a young age. Knowing that she was surrounded by Jewish people and spaces instilled a sense of pride for both her and her parents, who immigrated from Ukraine. She calls her upbringing ‘amazing,’ stating that her parents celebrated every aspect of their lives and took nothing for granted.

Following a jam-packed spring competition season and right on the tail of their 2022 MACCDC Regionals run, members of Capitol’s cyber battle team, Signal-9, made a splash at their last event of the semester: Hack the Port.

Angela Okoro, like many other Capitol students, set out on her educational journey early with big aspirations. She began fostering her passion for construction from the moment she developed the interest as a teen, which allowed her to gain a significant amount of experience and crucial industry knowledge before even graduating high school.

Have you heard of Judith Love Cohen? How about Jack Black? Either of these people could be household names depending on your social circle, but do you know the connection between the two? No, it’s not some odd coincidence or six degrees of separation situation. Cohen, an accomplished aerospace engineer who was responsible for helping save the astronauts on the Apollo 13 mission, just so happens to be Jack Black’s mom.