Yaara Hefer-Zik is a junior who has a unique identity compared to the rest of the student body.

On the surface, Hefer-Zik is very much like every other student in the school. She hangs out with friends and family outside of school, participates in Green Team every Tuesday, exercises regularly, intends to go to college after high school in either a science or research-based field, and listens to music a lot, particularly Noah Kahan.

But Hefer-Zik has a side to her that she doesn’t typically share with people, it’s the fact that she is one of the few students who practice Judaism. “Being one of the very few people in Hudsonville who practices Judaism while being an American-Israeli, it is honestly a little hard to connect with my peers,” she says. While she is very proud of her heritage and religion, she still struggles with putting that side of her out there. “Growing up in a predominantly Christian town and school for the longest time I struggled with feeling like I did not belong with the people next to me,” she says. 

She’s learned to come to terms with the fact that she is different from others. “I just learned to keep my religious practices to myself and further my connection with my heritage and culture even if it is different from everyone else around me.” She has also learned to not listen to derogatory comments made regarding her religious beliefs.

Hefer-Zik doesn’t let these negative comments get to her, however. She’s always walking onto campus with a positive attitude and is always uplifting her fellow peers. She brings a positive energy to campus.