Admissions Staff

The List College Admissions staff are here to help guide you through the admissions process and answer any questions. We look forward to hearing from you.

Admissions Staff:

Melissa Present, Director of Admissions

Missy Present serves as the List College director of Admissions, working closely with prospective students and their families, college guidance counselors, Columbia University and Barnard College admissions professionals, and the List College staff. She also works with List College tour guides and Admissions interns.

A graduate of the George Washington University with a bachelor of arts in Speech and Hearing Science, Missy also worked at the university as a senior interviewer for the office of undergraduate admissions. While at GW, she served as president of the Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority and as an executive board member at GW Hillel.

In 2005, Missy accepted a Steinhardt Jewish Campus Service Corps Fellowship at Pierce and Valley Colleges Hillel in Los Angeles, and shortly thereafter returned to Washington DC as the program associate for the fellowship.

Missy comes to List College from Hillel's Schusterman International Center in Washington DC, where she was senior associate for human resources, serving as the lead professional for early career talent recruitment. Missy also managed Hillel's executive coaching and leadership development programs as well as the Great Place to Work initiative.

Originally from outside Philadelphia, Missy enjoys traveling, biking, and cheering on the Philadelphia Eagles.

Email Missy at mepresent@jtsa.edu with any questions you may have.

Graig Uhlin, Admissions Assistant for List College

Graig Uhlin serves as the admissions assistant for List College. In that capacity, he works closely with prospective students and parents, arranges tours for all visitors, and facilitates all administrative aspects of the application process.

Graig is currently enrolled as a PhD candidate in Film Studies at New York University, where he is completing his dissertation. He also earned a master's degree from NYU, and previously attended the University of Arizona.

Though originally from New Jersey, Graig has called New York City his home for nine years and is excited to meet you when you visit campus!

Email Graig at lcadmissions@jtsa.edu.

Admissions Interns:

Each year the List College Admissions Office has current students working with the staff as Admissions interns. The Admissions interns have the unique opportunity to act as emissaries to the outside community by representing List College at the United Synagogue Youth (USY) International Convention, the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly, and various other events.

In addition, Admissions interns plan open houses for prospective students, such as Prospective Student Weekend and Junior Visiting Day.

	Nick Bruscato was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and attended Lane Tech High School. He is very involved on campus as a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity and the Kung-Fu Club at Columbia. Nick continues his involvement in Avanim, the Columbia University Hillel literary and arts magazine as their editor-in-chief. Nick's academic interests at JTS range from medieval Jewish history to modern Jewish studies, and he plans on majoring in Italian Cultural Studies at Columbia. In the summer of 2011, Nick worked at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, his 10th summer as a senior cabin counselor.
	Ben Goldwater is from Dallas, Texas. He is studying biology at Columbia and has been fortunate to be able to study his other passion, Jewish music, at JTS. After his first year in the Joint Program, Ben spent the summer of 2011 interning at a research lab at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. This summer opportunity complements his aspirations to study medicine after graduation. Outside of school, Ben sings and tours with Pizmon, the co-ed Jewish a cappella group run through Hillel, and performs in musicals on campus. Ben is very excited for his second year in the Joint Program, especially for his first cantorial school class!
	Marisa Rader was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and attended Grover Cleveland High School. She loves singing, dancing, exploring her new home in New York City as often as she can, and creating culinary masterpieces in her kitchen in the Mathilde Schechter Residence Hall. On campus, Marisa is a member of S'madar, the all-women Jewish a cappella group of the Columbia/Barnard Hillel, and Shalhevet, Hillel's Israeli dance group. She is also a member of the Columbia Political Science Student's Association. Her intended majors are Political Science at Columbia and Modern Jewish Studies at JTS.
	Madeline Richer grew up in McLean, Virginia, just outside Washington DC, and attended Sidwell Friends School. She is a sophomore in the Double Degree program, majoring in Jewish Thought at JTS and Human Rights and Religion at Barnard. On campus, Madeline is involved with dance organizations such as Columbia Ballet Collaborative and Orchesis: A Dance Group. She has also been a tutor for America Reads, working with elementary school students in Harlem. Additionally, Madeline is involved in Koach (the Conservative student group at Columbia/Barnard Hillel).