When you meet Orli, an 18-year-old student in Ashkelon, it is immediately apparent that she loves being around people. She emanates an effortless friendliness that makes everyone around her feel instantly comfortable, and she connects to others with ease. Orli dedicates most of her free time to doing things for others. She is involved in just about every possible youth group or movement, including the ENP Youth Outreach Center, and she volunteers on an ambulance with Magen David Adom. She is dedicated to her family and loves spending time with them - an atypical quality in a teenager. Orli smiles as she describes the kayaking trips that her family has been taking up north since she was a little girl. Giving back to others is Orli’s calling; it is simply what she is compelled to do. Orli’s outstanding and generous work with her community even earned her a certificate of excellence from the mayor of Ashkelon for her work with youth groups.

Although Orli’s accomplishments are impressive, she struggled to give the same level of attention and investment to the academic realm as she does to the social realm. Part of the reason that Orli lacked the motivation to take her academics seriously is because she lacked a corresponding confidence in her academic abilities, convinced that her strengths lay only in the social domain. However, Orli’s father, who made aliyah in 1994, was extremely invested in her academic success. Because it is inherent for Orli to strive to give to others, she began pushing herself harder in school because of her father. ENP’s SPACE Progam has helped her to do this. Being a part of SPACE has allowed Orli to make dramatic improvements to her school performance, particularly when it comes to math. In keeping with her highly social personality, Orli’s favorite aspect of SPACE is the connections that she has made with her teachers and friends there, for they provide each other with unconditional support.