By Student Representative - Reut Gazit

"I stand her before you as the representative of the students of the Kinneret Academic College in the Jordan Valley at the ceremony for the distribution of the Jewish Agency scholarships to students in the region.

First, I would like to mention the events of last summer, which for all of us, the residents of the North, was one of the most difficult periods of our lives.

Some of us were called to military service with a Tsav 8. Many of the residents left the region. Life came to a halt and the whole region came under fire. Those who remained had to stay in shelters.
Obviously the academic studies at our College were interrupted: exams and classes were cancelled. New students didn't know what to do - to register for the College this year? To put off their studies this year and work instead? And in the middle of the distress, the low spirits and the paralysis of the system, the Jewish Agency, with the help of a generous contribution from the communities of North America, started the wheels of the system turning again.

In August, the declaration of a ceasefire was the sign to get back to routine. The knowledge that there is someone who is willing to lend us a helping hand gave us all the strength to start the first year on the right foot. To consult with advisors, put together a schedule of classes, to return to exams, to hand in seminar papers, to find the strength to get back to routine and to fulfill our original dream - of acquiring an academic education.

I would like to thank the Jewish Agency, which was able to raise the donations, and everyone else who understood that the North, and the colleges in the North, need to be strengthened because we are the next generation and it is worth investing in us as the key to a better future.

In the hope of continuing cooperation between us in the future,

Thanks!..."