It’s not every day that you meet a government official who personally affirms the life choice that you made. Yet, that is what happened to me when I had a brief meeting with Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer when he visited The Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT).

Sofer, addressing women who had made aliyah from the United States, Canada and France, and who are new students on JCT’s Tal Campus, said, “During these difficult times of war, those who chose to make aliyah keep me feeling optimistic.” He added, “Olim help write the history of the Jewish people.”

While I have yet to officially make aliyah from my hometown of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, it was heartwarming to hear that my intention to make Israel my new home will not only enhance my own life but could potentially mean something to the rest of the country. I am thrilled to be starting a nursing degree in JCT’s Selma Jelinek School of Nursing.

Minister Sofer isn’t the only person who assured me that this is where I belong.

Last year, while interning at Hadassah Medical Center, where I assisted nurses in carrying out rudimentary tasks, an elderly patient from South Africa gently held my hand and told me how making aliyah was the best thing to ever happen to her. She warned me that starting over will be hard, but that I will be able to thrive. She also said that my work helped make her stay at the hospital more comfortable — further validating that I’ve chosen the right path both professionally and personally.

Moreover, since I’m currently enrolled in the college’s new nursing program for international students, I know that when I graduate, I’ll be able to offer something meaningful to a country currently undergoing a medical professional crisis. Currently, Israeli hospitals and clinics have only five nurses per 1,000 people. While this is a slight increase from the reported 4.7 in 2010, it is still far below the average seen in OECD countries which boast roughly 9.4 nurses per 1,000 people. This challenge has only worsened since the Iron Swords War, where thousands of Israelis are injured and many of its staff have been called up for reserve duty.

That said, the transition has not been easy. Learning Hebrew has been a challenge, although JCT’s international nursing degree program combines a high-level nursing curriculum and also 1.5 years of Ulpan (intensive Hebrew language courses). This ulpan is specifically focused on medical terminology. I hope that once I have a firm grasp of Hebrew, I’ll be able to acclimate well to any medical environment in addition to navigating thoughtful discussions with fellow Israelis.

Focusing on why I came to Israel in the first place has really gotten me through this transition period. I am gravitating toward religion and therefore studying in an institution that values both Jewish religious studies and secular studies is very important to me.

But on a more worrisome note, I also left the United States because my experience in college in New Jersey made me increasingly feel like an outsider. After October 7, I experienced a harrowing situation when, as a student board member, I made my opposition to the presence of the anti-Israel group Students for Justice in Palestine clear and faced intimidation tactics from fellow students and even the administration.

I don’t want to castigate them all as being antisemitic, but I know what I felt — isolated and not supported. Suddenly, my friends on campus couldn’t relate to me and I found myself grappling with complex emotions with no support system.

I know there are many Jewish students on campuses across the U.S. who have felt the way I did. To them, I say that there is no reality where you would feel that way if you studied in Israel. When in Israel, I’m always surrounded by community. My feelings are validated, and my voice is heard.

And better yet, I will earn a degree from one of the top nursing schools in the country, and I’ll be part of the collective effort to make Am Yisrael stronger than ever.

Rachel Rosin is from Cherry Hill, New Jersey and is a first-year student at The Jerusalem College of Technology’s Selma Jelinek School of Nursing.