Maryam Zaher

2021 | Biology | mz7ey@virginia.edu

Why did you decide to run for this position?

Growing up with a Filipino mother and an Afghan father, I struggled with my cultural identity. However, when I came to UVA I found that I was able to embrace the Filipino side of me within such a positive and welcoming community that I now consider family. I want to foster an environment where everyone can take that same kind of pride in their identities, whether it pertain to multiculturalism, gender, being a first-generation student, or literally ANYTHING, as well as understand the meaning behind those identities through open discussions and education.

If you were given the AUX, which song would you play?

HANDS DOWN, "Bounce Back" by Big Sean

What is one goal you want to accomplish by the end of the year?

I want OYFA to have a greater focus on the Fil-Am identity while also maintaining the culture of inclusiveness that we have so successfully built.

If you were stuck in an Island and could only eat one food the entire time, what would you choose?

My one true love: avocados.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

The ability to talk to animals because I'm always curious about what they're thinking, and it would be cool to get a little Doctor Doolittle action!

Roseanna Quinanola

2020 | Nursing | rmq7an@virginia.edu

Why did you decide to run for this position?

As an individual, I am always looking for ways to grow and become better educated on issues that may not affect me directly, but have the potential to in the future. The more I’ve become involved in OYFA and the more I’ve spent time with OYFAns, the more passionate I’ve become in applying that growth amongst our members as a whole. With this, I truly believe in the educating of our members to become more aware of situations that may impact them on Grounds, as well as the importance of addressing their identities as Filipino-Americans or AAPI in a PWI and how that may impact their experiences here at UVA in comparison to the "ideal" UVA experience. Although the original creation of OYFA was born out of a social nature, I feel as if the changing political climate calls for a more refined side to OYFA in terms of being involved and aware of what’s going on around us and in our community.

If you were given the AUX, which song would you play?

Rosanna by Toto (I think it's pretty obvious why)

If you were stuck in an Island and could only eat one food the entire time, what would you choose?

Menudo or caldereta (very similar Filipino dishes that I crave almost all the time)

Is water wet?

No. This is all the evidence I need to support my stance:

https://twitter.com/funnyvines/status/944656389301063681?lang=en

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

"If I could have any superpower, I'd probably want the ability to warp time in a non-detrimental way along with time travel. I can either be extremely indecisive or just be actin' a fool by actually making impulsive AF decisions—warping time and being able to travel through it would come in extremely handy when it comes to weighing out those decisions and experiencing the potential pros and cons. I also get suuuuuper nostalgic and ""in my feels"" when I think about past good times, go hoos, so it wouldn't hurt to relive those moments every once in a while ya feel. (okay, and tbh, have y'all heard of the game ""Life is Strange"" because that was kinda my inspo bye)"

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