The Magazine of The Leffell School

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Orlea Miller

Community Engagement
& Education Associate

To say that Orlea Miller is like a force of nature would be an understatement. In her year-and-a-half-long tenure as The Leffell School’s Community Engagement and Education Associate, she has connected individually with more than 100 alumni, launched a number of successful programs and initiatives, and created new and exciting ways to keep former students engaged with Jewish life. A true “people person,” she is relentlessly upbeat and hard-working, with a wellspring of enthusiasm that is matched only by her speed.

Orlea’s passion for Jewish life was borne out of the need to create her own Jewish identity during adolescence. Growing up in San Antonio, Texas’ small Jewish community forced Orlea to actively consider — and ultimately create — a version of Judaism that worked for her. In high school she brought her non-Jewish classmates home to teach them about Jewish life. As an undergraduate at Harvard, her initial struggle to find a Jewish home at school eventually led her to serve as co-gabbai of the Student Conservative Minyan (a role also held by Head of School Dr. Michael Kay, High School Principal Eric Bassin, and High School Rabbinics Chair Rabbi Abby Sosland during their own Harvard years) and ensure that incoming freshmen felt welcome. It was also at Harvard that she met alumni from The Leffell School and learned about its storied reputation. A chance connection with Dr. Kay brought Orlea to the school for an interview and the rest is history.

Orlea was particularly drawn to the importance that the school places on teaching young people how to construct their Jewish identity. She shared, “In college I learned that people feel connected to Judaism when there’s choice and they get to figure out how to form their own Jewish identity. Unless people feel ownership and agency over this, it won’t stick.”

A large part of Orlea’s role is to engage with alumni. In addition to helping with established activities such as grade reunions and Thanksgiving week get-togethers for recent graduates of the school, she has also launched programming sparked by her 100+ conversations with alumni. She met each of their ideas with an enthusiastic “yes!” Could they have learning sessions that were scheduled around their hectic work days? Check. How about an online alumni directory with actionable search categories like work industry, city of residence, and college alma mater? Check. Could they find a way to connect the school’s juniors and seniors with alumni attending the colleges they’re considering applying to? Check. And what about a mentoring program where alumni in college hoping to work in a particular industry are partnered with older alumni who are already doing so? Check, check, check.

Many of our alumni had such a powerful experience at the school and that doesn’t have to end once they graduate.

Orlea had no problem pivoting to virtual programming when Covid-19 struck. In just a few short months, she launched an alumni trivia night, hosted an alumni association focus group, and organized a town hall with Dr. Kay and Rabbi Pell to discuss how the school could better combat racism, all delivered virtually. She also worked alongside alumni to create Facebook groups for those living in Boston, the Bay Area, the Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia Area, and Israel. The programming has been so successful that she may continue offering some of the activities virtually even after social distancing restrictions are lifted.

Another part of Orlea’s role is to provide programming that helps parents and grandparents stay connected to the larger school community. With in-person events no longer an option since the spring, it quickly became clear that there was a real appetite for virtual content and connection among this group. With help from Orlea, the school’s long-time women’s Lunch and Learn series is now virtual and a similar series for grandparents launched over the summer.

Orlea’s passion for her role is driven by her own personal experience and a desire to keep The Leffell School’s larger community engaged with Jewish life. She shared, “Many of our alumni had such a powerful experience at the school and that doesn’t have to end once they graduate. Being part of a support network of fellow alumni with similar values is a meaningful way of keeping people connected to each other.”