Faces of FIUTS: Meet Shari
Faces of FIUTS is a social media campaign that collects personal stories from individuals who are part of our work. This week, meet Shari!
Where are you from? I grew up in Iran and immigrated to the U.S. when I was 17.
What's your FIUTS story? It was my second year at UW when my friend invited me to attend the CulturalFest. I remember being blown away by the diversity of the cultures represented and the professionalism of the event.
"I hoped you liked CulturalFest," said my friend, who'd helped organize the performances.
"I loved it! It was really fun to get a glimpse of what is going on backstage. Thank you for inviting me!"
"I'm glad you liked it! We worked so hard to make this happen"
"Well, it was great! And you seem to have made lots of good friends"
Our conversation continued for a while, and she invited me to join the CulturalFest Performance Committee for next year. I accepted her invitation, and I'm so glad I did. Joining FIUTS helped me find a smaller community at UW. It enriched my college life and made my time at the university much more meaningful. I made new friends, attended lots of fun events, and met other students who shared the same commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and intercultural understanding.
How will you change the world? I am changing the world by being the change I want to see in the world. As an aspiring data scientist, it's important for me to learn as much as I can about different populations and their needs. I am hoping that by improving my intercultural understanding I can be a better advocate for disadvantaged communities in the tech industry. Especially the communities with which I personally identify with.
Shahrzad (Shari) Lavaei is a senior majoring in Geography: Data Science at UW. She joined as CulturalFest Committee member and continued her involvement with the Global Gala Committee She is now a current FIUTS Student Board member and Co-chair of the Global Gala Committee.