Zahra Hashemiolya is a first-year PhD student in the Religious Studies department, where she studies comparative Judaism and Islam. She was inspired to pursue a degree in comparative religious studies because of her research in Islam and Judaism over the past decade. Her research interests include Jewish and Islamic scriptures, focusing on their interpretations. Before studying at UVA, she earned an MA in Religious Studies from the University of Kansas (KU) and an MA in Islamic Philosophy and Theology.