#CLASSOF2026CHANGEMAKERS
Joui Hessel Aligns Spiritual and Social Work Values

An ordained rabbi since 2001, Joui (pronounced “Joey”) Hessel spent over a decade leading a congregation in Washington, D.C., before moving into education, seminary recruitment, and eventually serving as Director of the Bronfman Center for Jewish Life at the 92nd Street Y.

Inspired by her sister-in-law and a close friend who had both attained fulfilling careers in clinical social work, and nudged by a trusted colleague’s recommendation of Fordham GSS, Hessel enrolled in the two-and-a-half-year MSW program. This May, she’s graduating with her degree.

What’s your hometown?

Miami, Florida.

What did you study as an undergraduate?

I went to the University of Georgia (go Dawgs!) and studied secondary school education, with a minor in history.

Why did you choose social work?

I was ordained as a rabbi in 2001 in New York City at Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion, and served a pulpit for 13 years in Washington, D.C., preaching, teaching, doing all the sort of pastoral work that a congregational clergy member does. I moved over into the field of education within the congregation, running the supplemental religious school that was located on two campuses with over 900 students in it, and loved all of that.

I found myself in Connecticut and fell into a few really wonderful positions as a rabbi, not in a congregation. One was doing recruitment for the seminary I attended, going to different college campuses and finding prospective students. Then I served as the Director of the Bronfman Center for Jewish Life at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.

All the while, I always thought about helping people through a more universal lens than just the Jewish perspective that a rabbi ought to and does have. During and after COVID, I had two friends—my sister-in-law and a dear friend—go back to school. Both received social work degrees, both eventually went into clinical practice, and have not only built successful practices and built the life that they wanted to have, but are serving a population that, without the degree, they would not have reached. I always admired that.

At the same time, I met a friend who had graduated from the program at Fordham and loved it. And so I said, okay, now or never, I’m going to apply.

What drew you to Fordham specifically?

The Westchester campus was certainly up there, as was my friend’s testimonial about the program. But the third thing I’ll mention is the fact that Fordham, being a Jesuit institution, was appealing to me. Not so much because it’s a religiously rooted place, which I think you would expect a rabbi to say, but rather that the Jesuit perspective seems to be a very progressive-minded one. 

I appreciated the way Jesuit education was progressive and committed to students. Being in D.C. and being near Georgetown, I guess I was influenced by that. And I certainly appreciated the stellar reputation that Fordham had in the community as well.

What population do you want to work with in your career?

I have taken a post-graduate position at the Central Conference of American Reform Rabbis. I will be their wellness specialist, creating all wellness programming and support groups for clergy globally. Burnout is a major issue that many clergy are talking about, and one of the ways we, as social workers, help with that is by giving people healthy, positive coping skills. It’s a nice marriage for me of social work with my rabbinic experience.

And then I’d like to combine that with clinical experience. I really have enjoyed my internships, and so I’m circling back to a couple of places dealing with populations regarding sexual assault or domestic violence.

Can you walk us through your field placements?

Last year, I worked at the YWCA of Greenwich’s Harmony Project, which serves survivors of domestic violence. Part of my job was administrative—gaining a sense of the agency and its missions and goals—but I also had the opportunity to work with the public school system on social-emotional learning with elementary school students. I ran a weekly girls’ social-emotional group for 8th graders at a middle school, which was so much fun. I was also able to run a support group for women who had been in abusive relationships and were either just emerging from that or further along in their path.

This year, I have been at the Jewish Family Services of Greenwich, serving solely in a clinical role. I’ve had my own caseload, and I’m working on my last three weeks with my clients—working on termination, which is bittersweet, certainly for me, and maybe for them as well, hopefully for them. It’s been really rewarding.

What’s the most valuable thing you learned from those experiences?

The work itself is really important and vital because you’re impacting someone else’s life and journey, and it’s certainly an honor and humbling to be part of anyone’s journey. But I think, for me, one of the biggest takeaways was the importance of self-reflection, which happened informally for me and also formally in supervision. The importance of, whether it was proper supervision with a licensed practitioner or peer supervision with other people in the field, hearing best practices, getting suggestions, asking questions, and thinking about my role and who I am vis-à-vis the work was really, really helpful.

What was the most memorable moment of your time at Fordham?

One of the things I love most about the program is the adjunct faculty members, who have their own practices, or work, or had them before retirement. They brought this real-world, real-time wisdom and experience into the classroom, which was unmatched. The fact that we had people who were in the trenches and could really speak to that was extremely helpful.

What is one thing about social work you want everybody to know?

It doesn’t matter how much money someone makes, or how famous they are, or how successful they are— they can’t do what we get to do. They can’t sit in a room with someone and create a safe environment for someone to be completely emotionally vulnerable with us, in the hopes of receiving help and support. Nothing can match that. It’s extremely humbling as a human to be in that role with someone, but it’s also completely worthwhile.

What advice would you give to a student starting this fall?

Utilize the opportunity of internships to work with a population or a setting that you’re a little wary of, because it’ll be the safest time to do that, and to stretch yourself in that way. I’m a big believer in being uncomfortable so that you can grow, sort of the Carol Dweck growth mindset. Definitely take advantage of the opportunities Fordham offers you as a student to grow and learn.

What is your definition of a changemaker?

My definition of a changemaker is someone who can make a positive impact on someone, a community, or, certainly, the world at large. When I think very humbly that I was nominated for something called a changemaker, I want to serve as someone who, through guidance, intervention, and experience, offers people hope, help, and the change they want for themselves.