Sunya Afrasiabi is a student at Williamsville North High School. She is the student founder and team leader of the Bridges from Borders #MyStory Program. Through the Bridges from Borders Youth Empowerment Program, Sunya has received recognition as a “Mental Health Ambassador”. She has also received a silver prize in the 2020-2021 Youth Achievement Competition as well as a gold prize in the 2021-2022 Youth Achievement Competition. Furthermore, she was honored as a recipient of the “2022 NFJC Community Hero Award”, 2022 Riley’s Way Call for Kindness Fellowship/ 2023 Continuation Grant, and a certificate of merit from the Erie County Legislature for her work with the immigrant/refugee communities of Western New York.

In 2023, she initiated the #MyStory Podcast, a medium to express stories through the #MyStory program. She planned related stories, trained volunteers, paired them with their storytellers, edited audio files, and handled podcast equipment. Furthermore, as a core member of the Bridges from Borders Student Advisory Committee, Sunya writes for and manages the Bridges from Borders newsletter. She actively uses journalism as a form of advocacy and for supporting non-profit organizations.

Sunya is very excited to continue growing with the #MyStory Program and continuing to spread cultural awareness through the sharing of immigrant/refugee stories.

Pronouns: She/Her