About me
Semony Shah is a third-year Echols Scholar at the University of Virginia pursuing a B.S. in Commerce and a B.A. in Spanish. She currently serves as President of University Democrats at UVA, the largest college Democratic chapter in Virginia, where she leads efforts to expand civic engagement, voter participation, and political dialogue on campus. By hosting speaker events with community organizers, boosting voter engagement and registration, and building relationships with local and state leaders, Semony works to empower students to see themselves as active participants in democracy and public life.
Beyond her work in student politics, Semony serves as a Senior Resident with UVA Housing and Residence Life, where she helps oversee a first-year community of more than 300 students while mentoring a staff of 14 Resident Advisors. In this role, she creates a collaborative and safe environment for students transitioning into university life. She is also involved in Sigma Psi Zeta, an Asian-interest sorority where she previously served as Vice President and works to preserve Asian identities, promote community service, and diverse leadership opportunities for underrepresented identities in her community.
Semony’s broader interests lie at the intersection of community impact, storytelling, and social innovation. She has co-authored the children’s book “Untold Stories: Maverick’s Monacan Homeland” in collaboration with Monacan Nation Tribal Elders, and worked to implement UVA’s first entrepreneurship escape room tournament, drawing in over 300 interested students to education them on topics such as AI and innovation.
Across her work, Semony is driven by a belief that strong democracies are built through open-mindedness, a diversity of thought, and empathy-focused leadership.
