Sara Bahamdun (3rd Year, Biology)

Q: What’s your coming of age journey been like so far?

"Growing up in a very image focused society, my biggest struggle was balancing being a conscious Muslim, but at the same time a strong and opinionated woman. It’s been difficult mainly because I am already perceived as a role model in my community, so I have all these expectations that I have placed on myself and that have been placed on me by my parents and my community, and to be honest, I want to live up to them. But I also want to find me. I want to take this journey to a version of myself that is self-confident. I hope to come full-circle with a better version of my Muslim self."

Q: Any thoughts about the Muslims community on campus?

"I feel UBC students in general don’t know Muslims on campus. I also feel Muslims are in their own bubble, and I want that to change."

Q: Would you join the MSA?

"Yeah, I would. Having attended an Islamic elementary in B.C. I generally grew up feeling comfortable being Muslim. While I haven’t been a part of the MSA in the past, I've started coming out more frequently to the events this semester. I feel there are so many misconceptions about Islam and specifically Muslims. That’s mainly why I feel there there has to be more Muslim representation in my opinion. I would love to organize more community service based projects and more collabs with other student groups."

Q: Tell us something about yourself!

"I always eat the crust of the pizza before the actual pizza. I like to get over the not-so-great part before enjoying the best part!"