In need of spiritual life advice? You’re in luck.

The Rachel Lord Center for Religious and Spiritual Life hired two new part-time advisors at the beginning of the academic year. Hulya Aksu Spizuoco is the new Muslim Life Advisor, while Connor Dedrick serves as the new Jewish Life Advisor.

Chief of Staff for Student Affairs and Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs for Community Life Whitney Hogan ’07 explained the reasoning behind the new hires.

“Over the last handful of years, the College has heard of a variety of needs from students across a variety of identities. Both Jewish students and Muslim students really articulated the need for more programming and support, and so this is the way that we’re meeting that need,” Hogan said.

Hogan illuminated the supplementary role that the new staff will play in the community, highlighting how they will interface with existing student-led groups.

“I think that the student organizations as they currently are do a really amazing job of raising awareness and literacy about religious pursuits, and these professionals are situated in a way to supplement, support and elevate that work,” Hogan said. “There will be an abundant amount of opportunities for not only community programming and supporting students in their own religious traditions, but also building opportunities for interfaith conversation and interfaith awareness and education.”

Muslim Life Advisor Hulya Aksu Spizuoco explained the path that led her to her new role.

“I have a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s in political science, and I worked many years for multinational companies before becoming a leadership and political communication consultant,” Spizuoco said.

Spizuoco also brings her prolific multicultural and multinational perspective to Bowdoin.

“I traveled to more than 70 countries. I worked in multinational companies and I built a multicultural perspective. On the other hand, I developed a strong interest in science and philosophy as well,” Spizuoco said.

Her day-to-day life on the job consists of coordinating and collaborating with different people all over campus.

“I meet with students and conduct one-on-one conversations. I support Muslim Student Association activities, and I ensure prayer and religious resources. I collaborate with campus partners, and my role is more like a facilitator between the administration, the other departments and Muslim students,” Spizuoco said.

She said she sees a great importance in her role and is excited to help students connect with their various cultures and religions.

“It’s essential,” Spizuoco said. “I think the students can benefit from someone who understands their cultural and religious context and can translate their needs into effective communication with the administration and the institution.”

Jewish Life Advisor Connor Dedrick echoed these sentiments. They come to Bowdoin from a place familiar to many Bowdoin students: Hannaford Supermarket.

“The only way I can put it [is], I was in charge of cookies and crackers,” Dedrick said. “It sounds like it’s the most dream job in the world. You just get to eat unreleased Oreos and things like that. But, my goodness, it does, at a certain point, wear on you.”

Dedrick sees their role as being a general facilitator of Jewish life, fitting in to existing traditions and being there for students.

“Just being a Jewish presence on campus. Whenever I’m here there’s definitely that component of being ‘on.’ Part of it has also been ritual support. Blowing the shofar, getting ready for the High Holidays and Shabbat dinners,” Dedrick said.

For Dedrick, forming connections with students happens in different ways.

“The part that I really have been enjoying is the programming that I get to create, whether that’s a song circle, baking challah or a text study, which we’ve all done this semester. That’s where I find a lot of really amazing connections with students: getting to show them a lot of what I value in my Jewish life and finding what they value in theirs,” Dedrick said.

Dedrick also described what their work as Jewish Life Advisor entails.

“First is always the safety and wellbeing of Jewish students to make sure that they are finding the things that they need, whether that’s kosher food or a synagogue,” Dedrick said. “Beyond that is really developing what Jewish life at Bowdoin looks like. Not only am I new to this position, this position and this conception of what religious and spiritual life at Bowdoin look like are entirely new, and so a lot of my day is just figuring out what we want Jewish life to look like.”