Kappa Phi Gamma
Royena Tanaz is probably one of the most interesting people that I have met at VCU thus far. She is a senior who manages to balance sorority life, an internship, and the stress of being a biology major. On top of all this, she still finds time to visit her family on the weekends, hang out with her sisters, be interviewed by me, AND be a participating member of a dance team. She was born in Bangladesh and grew up in Queens, N.Y. As a member of Kappa Phi Gamma, she is a fantastic role model and representative of sorority life at VCU.
Royena Tanaz Quick Facts:
Sorority: Kappa Phi Gamma- Multi Cultural Greek council
Sorority quote: “Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul, dream deep for every dream precedes the goal.”
Jewel: Emerald
Sorority Colors: Kelley green, white and black.
Mascot: Royal Bengal Tiger
Major: Biology with chemistry minor-pre med concentration
Age: 21
Relationship Status: Single
Royena’s Favorites:
TV show/movie: Glee, Grey’s Anatomy, and Harry Potter–I have a wand from Ollivanders!
Food: Anything my mom makes and chipotle with guac.
Animal: Dogs
Band: Third eye blind
Article of Clothing: Scarves
Why did you chose to come to VCU?
My family now lives in Northern Virginia and VCU was the closest thing to a city that I could find that was nearby since I grew up in New York.
Why did you choose the multicultural council as opposed to any of the other councils?
Because the MGC organizations were really small, the type of bonds that I saw within the girls, were really, really intimate. They really reached out to me because I was not interested in being Greek at all when I first came to VCU. The first year I was really not considering it. I just really got along with the girls and I realized that I was looking for a group because I have never had a “group” of friends; I just had friends here and there. I found that in Kappa Phi Gamma.
Is there ever a time when your sisters have been there?
Yes! Definitely! They are there through all the ups and downs of just college–regardless of what it is. They are like family to me because I don’t actually have any real sisters.
Are you involved in any other organizations at VCU?
I am in the acceleration program for pre-health students. We work with our faculty to prepare us for our respective professional schools—whether you are pre-medical, pre-dental, or pre-pharmacy we have every kind of pre-health specialty in the organization.
Are you currently working?
I have an internship at MCV- I work in the department of human and molecular genetics. I took a class called Bio of Cancer and the second part of the course is an internship. Basically you try to find faculty that are willing to take you in to their lab and I found this lab, and I’ve just stuck with it.
So what do you do exactly with this?
There is a mental retardation called the Smith-Magenis syndrome. There are mutations that come about that cause this disorder and every patient we’ve seen is obese. We are trying to see if the genetic mutations that cause the retardation also cause obesity. It’s very interesting!
What type of volunteer work are you/your sorority involved in?
Within the sorority we do a lot of work with Cancer Awareness because that is our philanthropy. Every spring we host an event called Care Week; it stands for “Cancer Awareness a Real Effort”. Everyday of that week we have a different type of event. One day will be a forum about a certain type of cancer, the next day will be a fundraiser, and the next day will be a candle light vigil for survivors. The big event at the end of the week is a pageant. We host a Mr. Care Week pageant and we ask the men from all the fraternities to send a representative and participate. All of the funds go to our philanthropy. We pick a different organization every year.
If you could chose, what would your dream job be?
I’m working towards my dream job. I am lucky enough to do that! I want to be a physician and I want to work with babies–neonatal care. I am working genetics already so if I could, I would try and work with babies that are born with some sort of genetic mutation.
What are your hobbies?
I love wedding planning!
So have you planned any weddings?
I have been involved in planning a lot of my friend’s weddings. If I wasn’t going to be a doctor, this is probably what I would do. I love all the details and how every detail can mean something special to the bride or the groom and how they reflect their personalities. The most personal thing out there is a wedding; I just love all the feeling that goes into it.
How many would you say that you have planned?
Bad grammar is a pet peeve, and when people’s backpacks are open and they don’t know. I’ll be the person to go up to someone and say “Hey! Your backpack is open!” even if I don’t know that person.
What is something that people would be surprised to know about you?
…I don’t know! Because everything about me I don’t find surprising at all because it’s me! …I am deathly afraid of the dark, incredibly afraid of the dark. I sleep with all the lights on!
Who is someone that inspires you?
I love, love, love Beyoncé’. She does such a good job of keeping her personal life personal, but everybody still loves her. When she is performing and when she does what she loves to do, she is a completely different person and when she is just giving an interview or on the red carpet she is a very poised person, but all crazy on stage. Just how she can have such a multi dimensional personality and still keep a personal life is just really admirable. She is one of the few celebrities that can pull that off.