Sara Diana Faraj Fraser Coast’s most impressive young gun 2022

At just 21-years-old, the go-getter voted Fraser Coast’s most awe-inspiring is a world record holder and Young Citizen of the Year.

Sara Diana Faraj is the World’s youngest Zonta president. Photo: Jessica Cook.

The Fraser Coast’s Young Citizen of the Year for 2022 and world’s youngest Zonta president has been named the most impressive young gun in the region.

Sara Diana Faraj received the highest number of votes from Fraser Coast Chronicle readers out of 30 youngsters making their mark in the community and beyond.

At just 21 years-of-age, Ms Faraj is kicking goals from setting world records to hosting community youth forums.

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She is Hervey Bay’s Zonta president, setting the record as the youngest Zonta president in the world.

Ms Faraj was “humbled” and “honoured” to know she had been voted as People’s Choice for the region’s most impressive young gun under 30.

She thanked her family, friends, partner and the community for their support.

“The community is my home, it’s where I work, live and play and it’s such a beautiful place,” she said.

“There’s just something about the Fraser Coast that’s special and I want to do everything in my power to give back to the community that welcomed me so warmly four years ago.”

Her family moved to Hervey Bay from the country town of Bathurst in New South Wales.

Zonta Club of Hervey Bay winner of Young Women in Public Affairs 2020, Sara Faraj with (L) Susan Harrison (membership chair) and president Tania Van Wijk. Photo: Alistair Brightman

Ms Faraj is actively involved in the community as youth major for the Fraser Coast Youth Advisory Council and president of Fraser Coast Young Professionals.

“I just think that community service is so important... and volunteers are the backbone of our society,” she said.

Ms Faraj was a co-author of community book, Making Hervey Bay Home.

The project features stories about people who have chosen to make Hervey Bay their home, after moving to the seaside city from overseas.

She authored her parents’ personal stories about their journey to Australia as refugees from Germany.

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Sara Diana Faraj was a Youth Member for Hervey Bay in 2021.

Ms Faraj was a QUT Pathways to Politics for Women graduate for 2022 and Fraser Coast Business and Tourism Awards finalist for Con Souvlis Young Achiever.

In 2021, she was also a Hervey Bay Queensland Youth Parliamentarian.

“I’ve always been about service and community service,” she said.

“I believe the best way about that is to enact change in policy and legislation, and I think that by representing my community, hopefully in the near future, that I can be a part of that progressive change.”

A passion for politics runs in the family, with a cousin as a councillor in America and an uncle as a federal minister for the government in Iraq.

Ms Faraj was also a recipient of a Diverse Leaders Scholarship from the Women Leaders Institute and named as one of the Wide Bay’s most powerful people under 30.

She received 24 per cent of total votes, with Xanthe O’Connor receiving the second highest amount of votes at 14 per cent.

Originally published as Sara Diana Faraj Fraser Coast’s most impressive young gun 2022