“Identity, identity, who am I? A BBG. I am one, though only one, there’s so much I can do!” Pushed shoulder to shoulder alongside her peers, senior Shaina Cohen participates in a group chant. The group of girls clump together in a circle jumping and screaming so loudly each one cannot distinguish their voices from each other.

As an eighth grader, Shaina was interested in joining the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO). With some encouragement from her parents, she took the leap and quickly found her place in the San Jose chapter.

“At my first event, I walked through the door and immediately was welcomed in,” Shaina said. “People were so welcoming and kind that it made me feel like I could be a leader. There’s not a super big Jewish community where I live, but once you become connected with it, it’s really close knit and everyone knows each other and that’s really fun.”

When she first started at BBYO, Shaina was more reserved, never thinking that she would take on a larger role in her community. Finding an environment where everyone was close knit and caring helped her gain the confidence to step up and put herself out there more. 

“There are so many different leadership opportunities you can take on that are so unique to BBYO,” Shaina said. “The people are so welcoming, so warm and so friendly — it started out as a fun way to meet people from other schools and meet other Jewish teens, and then became something I got more involved in.”

Inspired by the previous chapter president, Shaina decided to run for a higher leadership role. When she didn’t get it, she took the opportunity to reflect on what BBYO truly meant to her and how she wanted to shape her experience.

“It was really disheartening for me because I had to sit and reconsider what BBYO meant to me,” Shaina said. “I still enjoyed coming to events but there comes a point when you get to be an older member in the chapter and a lot of your friends stop going and stop being as active. It’s still fun but it’s definitely a different experience.”

After her setback, Shaina rethought and realized there were so many more leadership opportunities within BBYO that she could be part of. She then decided to run for the position of Regional Mazkirah and now helps promote regional events and creates a welcoming, positive experience for newcomers.

“BBYO taught me that a leader is so much more than just a position and a title,” Shaina said. “It made me want to be the friendliest person in the room, which is more important than being the loudest or the most confident. When you include one person, it might have seemed like a small thing to go and talk to someone who’s standing alone, but it could be huge for them.”

Alumna Sara Glusman (’25) first met Shaina when the two joined BBYO at the same time despite being one year apart in school. Over the years, the two grew closer as they had AP French Language and Culture together for Shaina’s junior year.

“Shaina is the first example I have ever seen of someone being able to really grow into their surroundings so well,” Sara said. “When I first joined BBYO, I remember being so scared of everything, but seeing and having an outside perspective of someone’s real growth because she grew so much as a person and as a leader and a friend, is so great to see. It really taught me that I don’t have to be scared about new situations.”

Through BBYO, Shaina developed confidence in her skills and perspective. Similarly, through her work for TALON, Harker’s yearbook, she brought her energy and bubbliness to the classroom. Former TALON adviser Kevin Oliver notes Shaina’s lively presence in class discussions.

“Shaina is a really great participant and has been in every class in which I’ve ever taught her,” Oliver said. “She asks questions, she has really thoughtful ideas and she is quick to smile and laugh at other people’s news journals or silly comments. She has a very welcoming personality, and it makes it easier both for me as a teacher and for the students around her to really engage in the material, which I always appreciated.”

Close friend senior Natalie Barth first met Shaina when they were locker buddies in third grade. Now, as seniors sharing multiple classes including French Literature and Film and AP Calculus, Natalie still enjoys Shaina’s positive, energetic presence.

“She’s a really great person to be around in a community because she just has this bubbly energy that makes people feel a little bit more comfortable,” Natalie said. “She’s so curious and we can actually have meaningful conversations about school but also events in our life. A lot of the time it will start with our grievances we need to air and then it will grow and sometimes we’ll get philosophical or we’ll talk about major world events.”

Through BBYO and journalism, Shaina fosters a new confidence within her community, finding her voice and gaining a desire to help others find their voices just like she had. She hopes to lead and inspire others the way previous leaders have guided her.

“One of the biggest reasons why I’m doing this is for my 14 year old self,” Shaina said. “She was this incredibly shy girl who wasn’t confident in herself and didn’t really believe that she could make a difference in something. I really hope the girls I meet in BBYO that are like that are able to have the same experience I had where they find a community that completely shapes who they are.”