Leaders to Learn From: Farzana Bi, Division Directors’ Assistant

Get to know a staff member who has many roles at UPrep

This school year marks Farzana Bi’s fifth year at UPrep. As the division directors’ assistant, she supports the Director of Upper School Susie Wu and the Director of Middle School Brian Johnson. With a ready smile and an infectious laugh, she manages a multitude of tasks, including coordinating substitutes, scheduling meetings, and planning events. Farzana is also the advisor for the Muslim Student Association, a student co-advisor for 10th graders, and a member of the Appreciation and Safety Committees.

What do you love about being the division directors’ assistant?

This job has really helped me grasp that I love organizing and planning. Susie gave me that opportunity to figure out how to do all the locker distributions when we shut down the school and how to distribute the science kits at the beginning of the 2020–2021 school year. My cousins tell me I have always been the family planner, reminding me of the spreadsheets I have created for camping trips. The family joke is that I have too many calendars. I love the moment everything comes together in the end.

What do you love about working at UPrep?

The UPrep community. The adults in the UPrep community focus on the students: helping to set them up for the future and the next step of their education. I wish that I had a similar high school experience. I immigrated from Fiji right before I turned 16. That was a hard move: I was a shy kid, and it took me two years to feel comfortable enough to have the courage to even talk to people at school. I am grateful for having supportive teachers who were very encouraging.

What have you learned from working with the UPrep faculty, staff, and students?

People are resilient. So much has happened over the last few years, but there is still kindness. Everyone is willing to help each other. It feels joyful to work in a place where you are appreciated for even the littlest things you do.

Tell me about your role as advisor to the Muslim Student Association.

It’s student-driven, and my role is to support the kids and guide them when they have questions. It’s been great to see them collaborate about how we would like to educate the UPrep community about Ramadan during April’s Muslim Heritage Month. The students are learning how to be leaders and, truthfully, I learn from them as well.

What do you do with your spare time?

I like working on projects, building things with my hands, and working with machinery is really satisfying. I have built some benches, made a firepit area, put up drywall, laid vinyl plank floors, and built a garden. I also like to plan trips. Four years ago, I set a goal to explore Washington with my family and I can’t believe there is so much to see and explore here. Do you know the seven wonders of our state? I have visited five of them. I would love to do a cross-country drive someday.

What might people be surprised to learn about you?

English was my favorite subject in Fiji, but it was harder than I thought here. In one of my creative writing classes, I learned to write poetry, and one of them was published. I love writing letters and sending cards. As a Muslim, you are supposed to prepare for your afterlife in this life and death is a very vulnerable subject. After my dad’s sudden death, I learned how hard it was for him to share these feelings, but we heard how much he loved us. I have been trying to figure out how to talk about this subject with family and close friends, so I began to do what I know best: write! I hope the letters I am writing are a small token of my gratitude and appreciation that I can leave behind for those who I value and respect who have made a lasting impression in my life.