Hey guys! I’m Elizabeth Aghili and I’m a rising third year. I’m double majoring in Foreign Affairs and Public Policy. Hopefully I can minor in Middle Eastern Studies too, but we’ll see if I can squeeze it into my schedule. I grew up in Northern Virginia, but I’m culturally from Iran. I’m a super girly girl and I love to shop, but I’m always ready to try new things. I’m also super outdoorsy and I love to swim and go kayaking so it’s just one big contradiction. I also love to dance! I’m a member of the Persian Cultural Society here at UVA, volunteer coordinator for the Middle Eastern Leadership Council, on the Hoos for a Cure committee and the Spread the Love committee. Warning: I love to talk, so if you’re shy, get ready to break out of your shell. Along with that, I’m always here to listen and give advice so feel free to email (ena3db@virginia.edu) or Facebook me at anytime! So excited to meet you all!

Hi! My name is Katrina Nemri. I am a rising second year and I plan to major in biochemistry. I am originally from Jordan and was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I am currently involved with tutoring with Madison House, enjoy playing basketball and watching soccer, and I’m really interested in public health. I gained a lot from having a mentor my first year and I’m so excited to take on that role! I learned a lot in the last year and I am happy to share my experiences to make the transition to university life easier for new students. It made a big difference having the small, welcoming Middle Eastern community within the large UVA population. I am always available to answer any questions and I love getting lunch with people so email me at kn8aj@virginia.edu with anything, I’d love to meet you!

Hello, and welcome to UVa! My name is Jude Hezbor, and I am a rising second year here at UVa. I’m majoring in Foreign Affairs, and so far this year I’ve become involved in the International Relations Organization and the Arab Student Organization. Some of my hobbies are reading, hiking, and playing the piano. I’m originally from Syria, grew up in Martinsville, Va, but I love anything and everything about different cultures, especially Middle Eastern! So please know that you are very welcome in the UVa community and I am eager to meet all of you! I know transitioning to the University can seem like a huge task to tackle, but I am very eager to help guide new students through this exciting time.  I’m excited for you to learn about all that UVa has to offer for you, as well as for you to meet so many wonderful people. So, to the fall! Feel free to email me at ajh7na@virginia.edu.

My name is Sara Almousa, and I’m a third year. I’m doubling majoring in public policy and economics (woo!). My father is Palestinian and my mother is Finnish (yeah, random), but I was born and raised in Northern Virginia. I attended the Islamic Saudi Academy from kindergarten up until senior year and made a close knit of friends from the Middle Eastern community. I wanted to be a mentor because I know the importance of having a supportive community with the same culture, values, and backgrounds, and the lasting positive impact it can have on your life. I myself had two unofficial mentors my first year, and now they’ve become two of my closest friends. They really helped me adjust to the college environment and to be an involved active member at the University (especially the Middle Eastern Leadership Council which you all should totes join). I love meeting new people and trying new things (especially food), so hopefully you’ll get to know me better this coming year! Email me at swa5xb@virginia.edu if you want to hangout or talk, or add me on facebook!

Hi, my name is Nada Mohamed. I am a rising fourth year student, double majoring in Foreign Affairs and Middle Eastern Studies and minoring in Religious Studies, with a focus on Islam. I was raised in NOVA, but my parents are originally from Eritrea. I have a really strong interest in the Middle East, from the culture, history, food, politics to the people. I am currently a member of Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine (SPJP) and participate in many Middle Eastern events on campus. As a first year, without a mentor to guide me through, I understand the difficulties of adjusting to college for rising first years, but hope to make their first year experience enjoyable. Feel free to contact me at nm9re@virginia.edu.

Hi!  My name is Talal Mohammad, and I’m a rising second year in the College of Arts and Sciences.  I am a  Biology major with a pre-med track, and I plan on studying Cardiology (I’m going to be in school forever!).   My parents are from Pakistan and I am the youngest of five brothers.  I’ve lived in Virginia all my life and now I live in Warrenton, Virginia.  I love animals (I have a fish named Dizzle), traveling, watching movies, playing games, going outdoors, and meeting up with friends.  I’m the Co-founder and Vice President of Finances of Students for Stop Hunger Now, and I’m in the Monroe Society.  Helping people has always been my passion, and I’m always willing to lend a hand.  From firsthand experience, I know that your 1st year can be fun, exciting, confusing, and sometimes a little bit of everything.  When I first came to UVa, I had no clue about what I was doing.  I’m grateful that I had a mentor to go to for things such as choosing classes, managing workloads, adjusting from home, or just having lunch at Shea!  My mentor opened me up to the Middle Eastern community at UVa, and because of her I am now going to live at Shea as a 2nd year!  I hope that you can take advantage of this great opportunity, and you can contact me anytime at tm4gy@virginia.edu.  Let me know if you ever need help, want a bite to eat, or just want to hang out.  I’m excited to meet you and I hope you have a great first year experience!

Hello my name is Kyana Afshar, and I am a rising third year. I am a Biochemistry major and a Studio Arts minor. I would like to eventually go into medicine, but I am also really interested in politics and history. I am ethnically from Iran but I was born in Canada and have lived a majority of my life in the United States. I am deeply interested in the politics and concerns of the area so I keep up with everything that’s going on. I decided to become a mentor because I know how overwhelming college can be and I would have loved to have someone who was there to give me all the answers. It’s always nicer to have a small community of people who you can count on, and that’s what the Middle Eastern Mentoring Program provides. I have one younger sister, so I have experience giving advice and am always willing to lend an ear when you need it. I will be taking biochemistry, cell biology, and introduction to painting semester of Fall 2012.  If you need any help or just want to talk my email is ka2un@virginia.edu. Feel free to contact me about anything!

Welcome to UVA! My name is Amani Boudriga. I’m a second year majoring in Biology on a Pre-med track and minoring in Middle Eastern Studies. I’m originally from Tunisia, but I was born in Canada and spent most of my life here in Northern Virginia. I love to play sports, and I especially enjoy playing soccer and ice-skating (There’s a ice-skating rink here so I go ALL the time!) I also play the piano and I’m quite passionate about music. I’m very involved in the Middle Eastern community and I’m Vice President of the Middle Eastern Leadership Council. I gained a lot from having a mentor my first year here in terms of organizing my schedule, adjusting to the university, getting involved in organizations, and simply gaining a friend. Seeing all the benefits I’ve gained through this, I wanted to give back to this community and help out incoming First Years’ with transitioning into the university. So feel free to contact me at ab6cg@virginia.edu if you have any questions, need advice, or you’re just looking to hang out!

Hey guys and welcome to the lovely University of Virginia! My name is Donia Attia and I am a rising second year. I plan on majoring in Biology and possibly minoring in Architecture. I am a proud out-of-stater born and raised in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, a town on the outskirts of Philadelphia. I am of 100% Egyptian descent and am very dedicated to staying connected to my culture and visiting the motherland as often as I can. I enjoy staying active and playing outside and particularly love tennis, soccer, and skiing in the wintertime. In my free time I like to read, watch movies, sketch, paint, and experiment with all kinds of craft-making. I am also extremely passionate about music and love exploring new, independent artists. Being involved with the vast and prominent Middle Eastern community here at UVa has been an amazing and highly beneficial experience thus far. MEMP, specifically, has introduced me to a set of awesome people that are unique and diverse yet share a surprising number of similarities. Through MEMP I also got the chance to meet my amazing mentor who is now one of my best friends. I am so excited to meet all of you! Feel free to email me at dha6ug@virginia.edu or add me on facebook .

Welcome to the University of Virginia! My name is Omar A Nabhani and I’m a rising second year. I plan to major in Finance and Economics. I’ve lived around the Potomac my whole life, being born and raised in Potomac, Maryland, but I have lived in Northern Virginia since I was 7. I am 25% Palestinian, 25% Lebanese, and 50% Egyptian (doesn’t get more complex than that). I am an avid sports fan and I love anything that’s sports related-especially teams based in Washington. I actually didn’t have a mentor my first year but I’m ready to help you guys out with anything you possibly need to help make your transition to the University a smooth one. Feel free to contact me at: oan8sp@virginia.edu.

Marhaba (hello) and Welcome to UVa! My name is Karla Kreidie and I’m a third year. I am a double major of Public Policy and Leadership in the Batten School and Global Development Studies in the College (I know sounds really long). I was born in Saudi Arabia but raised in Lebanon, both my parents are Lebanese and I consider myself Lebanese. Fun fact, my mother is actually partially Venezuelan and was raised there. Getting back to the point: I am pretty flexible with what I enjoy doing, playing volleyball or basketball to watching movies and just hanging out. I was completely lost when I first came to UVa and really appreciated the guidance I received from a friend but I wished that I didn’t have to bombard her with all my questions and had a Mentor instead. So please feel free to throw as many questions as you’d like at me! My email is ksk9bj@virginia.edu. Look forward to a great first year because UVa is truly a great place!

Hello and welcome to UVA! My name is Nusayba Hammad and I’m a fourth year, majoring in Middle Eastern Studies and minoring in Studies in Women and Gender. I’m Palestinian-American (meaning 50% Palestinian, 50% white), and I’m from Northern Virginia. I’m a member of Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine (SPJP) and will be interning at the Women’s Center this coming year. I love doing anything outdoors, reading, watching football, and procrastinating. I’ve chosen to be a part of MEMP because as a transfer student to the University, I was a bit lost and would have loved to have a mentor from the Middle Eastern community, had I known the program existed. I’m so excited to meet all of you, and please feel free to contact me at nnh2hc@virginia.edu, or add me on Facebook!

Hello! My name is Hale Nur Ozbek  and I am a rising second year,  planning to major in Biomedical Engineering. I am originally from Turkey, but my hometown in the states is McLean, VA.  I love reading, swimming, learning foreign languages, scrapbooking, baking and decorating cookies & cakes

I wanted to be a MEMP mentor because I had an amazing MEMP mentor who facilitated my first year; I loved the activities MEMP organized and met a lot of awesome people through this program. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at Hale@email.virginia.edu.   I am looking forward to meeting you soon!!!