Meet the Team
2026 Student Leadership
The Ripple Conference is a student-led event. Here are some of the faces that have been working behind the scenes to make everything happen! To contact a Ripple coordinator, please email (therippleconference@gmail.com)
Co-Director
Lauren Bedell (she/her), Senior
Majors: Political Science and Public Policy
Minor: Interreligious Studies
"I’m excited to be part of the leadership team, where I can help foster a space that encourages students to engage in interfaith dialogue while gaining new experiences and perspectives."
What Interfaith Means to Lauren: "engaging with diverse religious traditions and communities, as well as reflecting on shared values to work towards common goals"
Co-Director
Rocco Albano (he/him), Senior
Majors: Biology and Public Health
"I am most excited about helping lead a team of passionate Elon students in designing and facilitating the most engaging and rewarding conference to date! I look forward to helping these students learn more deeply about interfaith and strengthening their skills."
Rocco's Recipe for Interfaith: building community with people who have shared goals and using diverse strengths to find solutions to reaching those goals.
Sacred Sounds Coordinator
Tess Trayner (they/them), Senior
Major: Religious Studies
Minors: Middle East Studies, Peace & Conflict Studies, Jewish Studies, and Communications
"I'm most excited to meet and learn from folks from all different backgrounds, and come together with a shared purpose of understanding & connection."
Tess's Recipe for Interfaith: "Curiosity, good music, good food, and a craving for social justice."
Communications Directors
Kenzie Ross (she/her), Junior
Majors: Economics Consulting, Marketing, and Religious Studies
"Ripple is such an exciting time of the year! I am looking forward to getting out of my comfort zone and learning something new about my peers and myself!"
What Interfaith Means to Kenzie: Growing in community with people by acknowledging differences and going out of your way to learn from one another!
Panel Coordinator
Addison Anderson (she/her), Sophomore
Majors: History and Sociology
Minors: Museum Studies and Public History
"I am so excited to meet people from all over and learn about their worldview and experiences!"
Favorite Ripple Memory: Pulling off last year's Sacred Sounds and seeing everyone enjoy it after a long day.
Service Project Coordinator
Taylor Polonsky (they/them), Sophomore
Major: BFA Art
Minors: Psychology and Sustainability Studies
"I'm excited to see how everything comes together, since it'll be my first year experiencing it."
Taylor's Recipe for Interfaith: you + me = interfaith
Breakout Sessions Director
Bella Kuperman (she/her), Sophomore
Major: English Literature
Minors: Environmental Sustainability and Science
"My recipe for interfaith is freestyle! Throw in some sprinkles of community and dashes of spirituality and a whole lot of meeting new people. I'm not a huge baker but I always feel closer to my faith when baking up conversations with my parents about new perspectives."
What Interfaith means to Bella: "eliminating biases you might not you know held and welcoming in new traditions and practices"
Hospitality Director
Lizeth Torres-Tomas (she/her), Junior
Majors: Political Science
Minor: Interreligious Studies and Sociology
"I am excited to meet new participants from other schools and to celebrate with one another the 10th anniversary of our student-led conference!!"
Lizeth's favorite Ripple memory: The breakout sessions! They are all so informative and included a variety of topics that fit well with our themes!
Art Project Coordinator
Emma Gornstein (she/her), Freshman
Major: Psychology
Minors: HR Management and Leadership Studies
"I am excited to bring people together with art."
What Interfaith Means to Emma: "finding connection through our differences and creating space where everyone feels seen"
Community/Affinity Group Coordinator
Ahron Frankel (any/all), Senior
Major: Strategic Communications
Minor: Peace and Conflict Studies
"I am so excited to connect with other multifaith/interfaith individuals! The conversations are always the best part."
Ahron's Recipe for Interfaith: "A good recipe for interfaith is open conversation, an open mind, and always being hungry to learn"
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Community/Affinity Group Coordinator
Omar Khamis (he/him), Sophomore
Major: Statistics (Actuarial Science Concentration) and Economics
"I am excited to work with a multitude of different people throughout the conference as we work together in creating a conference for all people of any background!"
Omar's Recipe for Interfaith: "My recipe for interfaith is being open to trying out new dishes, as well as being ready to serve your own dish of culture and background. Food is a great way to bring people together because, as a Muslim, I have to keep in mind my Halal diet, which includes educating people on it as well as preparing Halal meals for them to try, which goes into community building and sharing."
Panel Coordinator
Zach Weitzen (he/they), Senior
Middle Grades Social Studies and Specials Education
"The thing that excites me the most about Ripple is speaking with others and learning about different opinions."
Zach's favorite memory from Ripple: "participating in discussions, in large group format, or in the small discussions that you have one on one with people. These help to bring people together and even extend through the conference."
Conference Advisor
Hillary Zaken
Director of Multifaith Programming and Engagement
"Ripple is one of the highlights of my work! Seeing students stepping into real leadership, challenging themselves, and intentionally building bridges with peers from across the country is a joy. I've always believed that food can bring us together if we offer folks a seat at the table, and Ripple is one of those rare spaces where everyone is genuinely welcome as they are."
Recipe for Interfaith: Authenticity, curiosity, and respect, plus a healthy dose of boundary-testing, a dash of productive discomfort, and a sprinkle of humor.
