As the daughter of Iranian and Chinese immigrants, 2023 Hamilton Scholar Sunya Afrasiabi brings an expanded worldview to her pursuit of lifelong education and neuroscience, having lived in Canada, China, and the United States.

Sunya is most proud of founding the BFB #MyStory Program, a storytelling project that shares the stories of local immigrants and refugees through photography, writing, or videography. Over time, the project has expanded, allowing her to forge connections across ethnic groups in her community.

In addition to her passion of sharing the stories of communities across Western New York, Sunya is an advocate for community: she’s involved in multiple advisory committees in her school and community, and uses writing as a medium for change. Sunya serves as a correspondent for the Riley’s Way Foundation, manages the newsletter for Bridges from Borders, and acts as editor-in-chief of her school newspaper.

Beyond this, Sunya is deeply interested in the sciences and aspires to a lifetime of education. She’s participated in her school’s Science Olympiad, Science Honor Society, and volunteers at her local hospital.

After witnessing great suffering from illnesses within her family, Sunya hopes to better the world’s understanding of the correlation between the brain, the mind, and the body. Her goal is to pursue a medical career as a neurosurgeon while making significant contributions to the field of neuroscience and neuropsychology. In the meanwhile, Sunya remains committed to continuing her philanthropy and advocacy work through writing.