About
I started Campus Chai-Lights to combine my love of college admissions and my personal interest in Jewish life. After traveling to Israel with JWRP/Momentum in 2018, I felt like I needed to do something back home to share my expertise and enthusiasm in a way that would help others. Three young kids and a pandemic delayed things a bit, but I never lost interest. My mission is to encourage Jewish students and families to consider Jewish life on campus as a factor when evaluating colleges, and to help them understand that there is a lot of nuance to the experience that requires looking beyond simply the percentage of Jewish undergraduates. |
Over the past few years, I have given presentations at national conferences and presented on panels related to Jewish life on campus, and hope to continue doing so post-pandemic. Here are some programs I have led or participated in:
I hope you will sign up for my newsletter where I plan to compile news relevant to Jewish life in college, share information to help Jewish families evaluate options, and interview current students about their experiences on campus.
- Lox-a-Options: The Search for Jewish Life on Campus (IECA Conference in New Orleans, LA - November 2016)
- Oy Vey! The Jewish Student's College Search (HECA Conference in Providence, RI - June 2019)
- Tribe Talk: Talking About the College Application Process (Virtual - January 2021)
- Temple Beth Ami Machane Religious School (Multiple presentations to students and parents in Rockville, MD - 2017-2021)
- Episode 120: Exploring Colleges through a Jewish Lens with Guest Laura Hosid (College Scoops Podcast Interview, May 2022)
I hope you will sign up for my newsletter where I plan to compile news relevant to Jewish life in college, share information to help Jewish families evaluate options, and interview current students about their experiences on campus.
full bio
Laura Hosid has guided hundreds of high school students through the college admissions process since starting at Vinik EPS in 2012, after seven years of work in higher education and a brief career as a practicing lawyer.
Laura is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the New York University School of Law. Before coming to Vinik EPS,
Laura worked at the Georgetown University Law Center where she served as an Associate Director of the Office of Career Services. She also spent the Spring 2018 and Fall 2019 semesters working part-time as the interim pre-law adviser at Georgetown University's Cawley Career Education Center.
An active member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, Laura presents at national conferences about college admissions and career related issues, and has been featured on MSNBC and CNBC and in the Washington Post and the Washington Jewish Week. She conducted alumni admissions interviews for the University of Pennsylvania for many years and served as co-chair of the school’s Secondary School Committee in Montgomery County, MD.
Originally from Baltimore, Laura currently lives in Rockville, MD with her husband and three daughters. She serves as co-President of the Parent Association at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School and on the Executive Board at Congregation B'nai Tzedek.