Alumni Spotlight: Mira Chetlen-Moss

We are so excited to introduce our first alumni spotlight! Each individual in our community has a unique story, and that certainly doesn’t end past their time in college. Ongoing connection matters to us, which is why this will be the first of many stories. We hope you enjoy, and Happy New Year!

Mira graduated from SF State in 2015. Originally from LA, Mira couldn’t wait to live in San Francisco and explore the city. She was nervous about entering a new world - mostly using public transportation for the first time - but more than anything she was excited to make new friends, grow as a person, and welcome new experiences.

​​Mira got involved as soon as she stepped on campus. She volunteered to run social activities in her dorm. Freshmen programming kept her very busy in leadership and helped her form a good social life. She also wanted to get involved in Hillel - her parents met there during college. ​

A few weeks later, Hillel hosted an AEPi shabbat. Mira decided to check out Hillel. She recognized a male student from her hebrew class. His name was Sam Moss, and she learned on this night that he was also in AEPi. She had never spoken with him, but on this night, it was an easy opportunity to strike up a conversation.

Later that night, Sam asked Mira out. Mira said the spark was instant and undeniable. She laughed as she recalled this story, saying that after their date Sam headed straight to Hillel to help his AEPi brothers to set up the Sukkah. The following week, she saw him at Hillel again, and they decided to go out on a second date.

A few years later, during a cruise in Mexico, in the middle of a snorkeling excursion, Sam got down on one knee on the boat and asked Mira to spend the rest of her life with him. With shock and excitement, she said yes. Mira and Sam got married in March of 2017 - one of Mira’s bridesmaids and two of Sam’s groomsmen were friends from Hillel.

Mira and Sam look back and will always remember that Shabbat at Hillel was a very important experience in their life. Had it not been for Hillel’s welcoming environment, Mira would not have had the courage to approach her future husband. “Hillel was great for fostering friendships - I will always be friends with these people. College was a time where I was still getting to know myself. Hillel not only helped me to find my husband, but to connect me closer to my Jewish community, which remains important to me to this day.”

Still living in the Bay Area, Mira is receiving her masters in speech-language pathology at SFSU and hopes to become a speech-language pathologist to help people in the Bay Area. Sam passed the California Bar Exam and is working as a vendor risk analyst. They are looking forward to attending Hillel alumni events. If anyone lives in the Bay Area, they would love to hang out!

Alumni, have a story you’d like to share? Want to hear what SF Hillel is up to these days? Please contact Leah Chakoff at leah@sfhillel.org.

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