For the past six years, Tori Luecking has called KU Hillel home. After participating in Hillel as a student intern for four years and working as the engagement associate for two years, Luecking is leaving KU Hillel to take on the role of communications director for Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis.
The KU Hillel staff has cherished the past six years with Luecking and they are confident in her ability to serve the Jewish community in St. Louis.
“This past year working with Tori has been such a joy,” said Leah Swartz, KU Hillel program director. “I’ve known her since she was a freshman and it has been so wonderful to see her grow into an engaging and confident Jewish professional.”
Luecking has been significantly involved in KU Hillel from the moment she arrived on campus as a freshman in 2012. As an undergraduate student leader, Luecking was a coordinator for KU Hillel’s Freshman Engagement team and ran Hillel on the Hill, KU Hillel’s annual event to expose prospective high school students to Jewish life at KU.
She also served on KU Hillel’s Strategic Leadership Team and as one of the student representatives on KU Hillel’s board of directors. Luecking also participated in KU Hillel’s Leadership Mission to Israel and the first Eastern Europe Leadership Mission to Bulgaria and Romania.
As the full-time engagement associate, Luecking developed an innovative strategy for connecting with new Jewish students on campus. Luecking and her team of 16 engagement interns have built relationships and managed the KU Hillel student database of more than 500 Jewish KU students.
“New, exciting and sometimes intimidating, college is the time when young people engage in self-exploration and self-definition,” Luecking said. “They meet new people, undergo social and academic challenges, and ultimately aim to better understand themselves. As an engagement associate it has been my privilege to accompany Jewish students on this journey.”
Luecking has also planned and hosted dozens of events designed to foster relationships between students, their peers and the KU Hillel staff. She has supported the development team in grant writing and reporting and staffed two Birthright trips, providing more than 80 KU students with a once-in-a-lifetime Israel experience.
Additionally, Luecking wrote the Student Spotlight blog for KU Hillel over the past year. The Student Spotlight highlights the amazing talents and passions of Jewish students in Lawrence.
“Writing the Student Spotlight has proven to be an excellent engagement tool,” Luecking said. “The interviews I conducted before writing encouraged students to open up, discuss topics they were interested in and ultimately build a relationship with me and the organization. It’s something that I hope will continue flourishing at KU Hillel.”
Melanie Edwards will be joining the KU Hillel staff this summer taking over Luecking’s position as the engagement associate. She will also be participating in the Hillel International Springboard Fellowship. Edwards graduated from KU Hillel in 2017 and helped Luecking with several programs while she was a student and one of Luecking’s interns.
“Melanie is one of the most welcoming and kind people I have worked with,” Luecking said. “She fully embraces the Hillel approach to hachnasat orchim (welcoming of the guest) and I am extremely confident in her ability to take on this role and continuing to make engagement at KU Hillel thrive.”