Natasha Smith, 20, rode between the humps of a camel in the sweltering hot Negev Desert of Tel-Aviv, Israel. She looked both in front and behind her to see her new friends that she had made within ten short days of being there – close friendships that she knew she would have for a long time. Smith recently visited Israel for her birthright trip, along with several other Jewish youth whom she now calls some of her best friends. Religiously, for Smith, the trip was the most spiritual and in tune with her religion she had ever been. Before her trip, Smith had never thought in depth about her connections to Judaism.

“It was just how my parents raised me. I was one of those kids who never really thought twice about religion. I thought the trip would be more of an adventure than a religious experience,” she said.

Something in Smith changed when she decided to break free from her birthright group and explore Tel-Aviv with some of her new friends. Only when she explored Israel by herself did she realize how in love she was with her religion and culture.

Smith ventured into the unknown parts of Israel that were completely foreign to her as her friends walked beside her. By leaving the group, she was able to formulate her own thoughts and views on the world around her. Not only did this increase her religious beliefs, it also made her more open to new ideas and helped her get off the path that was set out for her.

“I feel like if I would’ve stayed in my group I wouldn’t have gotten such a real view of Israel. It was better for me to see it with my own eyes rather than having someone throw a bunch of information at me,” she said.

Smith’s best friend, Kaitlyn Peters, explained how excited Smith was to talk about what had happened on her trip.

“I’ve never seen her so crazy in my entire life. She could not stop talking about [her trip] for at least a week after she came back [home]. She would sit down with me for hours just talking and talking,” Peters said.

A junior at the University of Oregon, Smith is pursuing a degree in both Political Science and Scandinavian Studies. Now that she has gone on her birthright, she sees her studies completely differently. Smith refuses to fall into social norms so she chose studies that reflect her ability to branch out and try new things. Her decision to study Political Science, for her, is rooted in her new love for Israel. Smith hopes to study relations between Palestine and Israel in the future.

Names have been changed for confidentiality.