Negeen Sadeghi-Movahed advocates equal opportunities for UCLA transfers

Negeen Sadeghi-Movahed’s first months at UCLA were not what she expected from her dream school. As a person who needs to be surrounded by community, she felt stressed after an adviser told her to only focus on her academics, discouraging her from pursuing the leadership positions she wanted.

Her initial feeling of isolation at UCLA is one of the reasons the fourth-year political science student is running for the transfer student representative position in this week’s Undergraduate Students Association Council special election. She said she wants to make sure that other transfer students have a better time transitioning into the university.

Cameron Sadeghi-Movahed, her 16-year-old brother, said his sister’s genuine nature and desire to create equal opportunities for everyone make her a good candidate for the position.

“People have to recognize she is the same at home and in her work. I think it’s rare to find a person like her in politics,” he said.

In community college, Negeen Sadeghi-Movahed held several leadership positions. She was the youngest executive board member of the Network of Iranian American Professionals of Orange County and vice president of membership of the United Nations Association of Orange County, among other groups.

In her first quarter at UCLA however, she was not involved in any student organizations because academic counselors advised her to focus solely on academics. Sadeghi-Movahed said she felt this decision not only affected her mental health, but also made it challenging to obtain leadership positions in student groups that required previous UCLA experience.

“If I had been approached differently (by academic counselors) with different terminology or if they had found alternative ways to lighten my load, I would not have felt the same burden in my first quarter,” Sadeghi-Movahed said.

Currently, she is the chief of staff for USAC President Devin Murphy. In spring, she ran unsuccessfully for the internal vice president position. She is involved in different cultural organizations like the Afrikan Student Union and Samahang Pilipino to gain a better understanding of these groups, she said. She has also been involved with Bruin Feminists for Equality and the Iranian Student Group.

Alyssa Nunez, a fourth-year political science student who has worked with Sadeghi-Movahed in developing her platforms said she thinks Sadeghi-Movahed is a sincere person who makes an effort to be her best, both in her personal relationships and in her work.

“Her work ethic and drive are astounding not only for her own community, but for other groups she hasn’t previously been in contact with,” Nunez said.

If elected, Sadeghi-Movahed said she plans to develop an academic advising guide and advocate for a transfer center for students to be able to receive guidance from people who are familiar with the challenges that transfer students face.

Additionally, Sadeghi-Movahed wants to extend the operating hours for the BruinBus because she said she thinks some students lack safe, accessible transportation to get home at night.

Her final platform includes a series of quarterly transfer mixers called “A Toast to Transfers” as well as institutionalizing a transfer graduation every year.

Sadeghi-Movahed said her experience has taught her that there is power in numbers.

“While I know I have the leadership capabilities, there’s no way to truly make an impact and advocate for every student’s need without a team,” she said. “There has to be collaboration and diversity of opinion to be led to success.”