Naya Sawah

There is an undeniable and effervescent strength in Naya that overflows from her being and permeates any social or cultural border within reach. Her path from Syria to the US and through Rady Children’s Hospital has needless to say not been without challenge, but her spirit has brimmed with joie de vivre throughout. When asked what class she would like to take for fun outside of her major in college, her immediate reply was, “All of them!” and this eagerness and passion for learning will serve her well at Whittier College, where she has the opportunity to design her own major. While her mom’s cooking and her dog Killian bring her comfort, her community is in turn enheartened by the support she provides as an Arabic translator and a peer counselor for students with cancer. Naya is a model of how to accept, no matter how difficult, that which we are dealt in life with positivity, and how to turn our experiences into opportunities to learn, improve ourselves, and give back to our world.