Spring 2026 Winner of the Jewish Heritage Scholarship

Ashlynn Mularchyk

Ashlynn, a flute performance major at Columbus State University, has been awarded $1,000 to use toward her education. After graduating, Ashlynn plans to attend graduate school, where she will continue her musical education.

Read Their Essay Here:

My take on this essay topic is slightly different than other applicants I can assume. My name is Ashlynn Mularchyk and I am from Savannah, Georgia. I am currently a senior flute performance major at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University, in Columbus, Georgia. My story for my connection to Judaism and what I have learned from it is very “unorthodox”. Both of my parents are divorced, as they have been my entire life. My father is Christian, while my mother was brought up Jewish. My maternal grandmother died from breast cancer when my mother was fourteen years old, with her grandparents passing soon after. My mother’s father was Baptist, and so from then on, my mother unable to practice Jewish culture because she did not have any family to support that way of life or guide her. When I was born, my mother decided to raise me Christian only because my father was one. Growing up, I had always felt a strong connection to the stories of the Old Testament, and never the new why. I knew I was Jewish in a way, but I did not know what that really meant and how to explore it on my own. In high school, my English teacher gave my class a crash course on the Holocaust, and at that same time, I was starting family ancestry research on my family history. Of all the branches I tried to get in touch with, my maternal Jewish line welcomed my curiosity with open arms. This new sense of community was something I had never experienced before, and it made me explore more of my Jewish heritage.

I spent the start of covid pursuing heavy research on what Judaism was and what it meant to be Jewish. I would spend my days watching and reading about topics on Israel, Judaism, Jewish Holidays and how to celebrate them, being Kosher and how that works, as well as looking into my own roots and where my Jewish family had immigrated from. I now identify as Jewish and have made connections with the most loving family members I could ask for, hailing from Russia, Israel, and other parts of the United States. I have even been able to reconnect my mom with some of our Jewish family here in Savannah, Georgia where we live, relatives she lost contact with many years ago. I have been able to start participating in more accessible Jewish traditions like Hannukah with my mom, using her mother’s menorah we received from my grandfather. It is something special that connects both of us to that side of the family we did not know much about for so long. Seeing my mom participate in religious events, and seeing her face light up, remembering those experiences from years ago makes my heart melt of happiness, knowing that thanks to my curiosity and love of this culture, it has been brought into the center of my life and her life. The main point out of all of this is that through all of these experiences, I have been able to learn how much community means to me, as well as the Jewish community.

Having this sense of community helps me, as well as my mom, by having a feeling of belonging, as well as getting to be with family that we love, even though they may be new in our lives. This sense of community has changed my life for the better, making me become a leader in any circumstance I face. As a flutist, I want to obtain an orchestral position in a professional orchestra one day. This kind of position is only attainable if you know how to be a leader, as well as knowing how to foster a sense of community. Being a part of the Jewish community has showed me how important having those qualities are, and I look forward to being able to learn much more in the future.