My name is Yaas Farzanefar, and I am a rising sophomore at UC Berkeley studying Political Science and Gender Studies, with a minor in Human rights.
I was born in Iran and have lived both in Iran and California. Being raised in two vastly different cultures, I grew up under both democracy and theocracy and have tasted freedom as well as oppression.
As a woman in Iran, I was treated like a second class citizen and was deprived of many fundamental human rights. My background has instilled in me a passion for dismantling injustices in countries deprived of human rights.
I am especially interested in women’s rights in the middle east, and in the future, I hope to be able to work towards a better future for middle eastern women through the United Nations.