Hello Penn Staters,

I’m thrilled to kick off our very first blog post for the 19th Assembly! The purpose of these posts is to keep you informed and ensure transparency in everything Zion and I are working on in our roles as President and Vice President of UPUA.

Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Rasha Elwakil, and I’m from Westchester, New York. I’m currently studying Geography with a minor in History and a certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). I’m also a proud member of two amazing and unique programs here at Penn State: the Millennium Scholars Program, which provides financial support, mentorship, and career guidance to underrepresented students in STEM, and the Presidential Leadership Academy, where we engage in leadership development with Penn State’s President, Dr. Bendapudi and Dean of Schreyers Honors College, Dean Matther! Besides my role in UPUA, I serve as Vice President of Equity and Belonging for Delta Phi Epsilon and as DEI Chair for Lion Ambassadors.

Now, onto the exciting work we have planned! This year, I’m passionate about several key initiatives: Narcan within Greek housing, promoting sustainability efforts across campus, rebranding UPUA’s internal culture, launching an accessibility task force, collaborating with identity groups, and expanding mental health initiatives, including creating safe spaces for students when controversial speakers come to campus. Since this is our first blog, I’ll dive deeper into each of these projects in future posts. Zion will also be sharing his own passion projects in his upcoming posts!

We’re so excited to keep you informed and engaged, so stay tuned for more updates! If you ever have any questions, comments, or just want to chat, feel free to reach out to me at Rfe5130@psu.edu. I’d love to connect with you!

With love,
Rasha Elwakil