Record Number of Iranian Studies Students Graduate
This year, a record number of students participated in the Global Studies minor program with a specialization in Iranian Studies. Ten students were enrolled and six graduated with minors in Iranian Studies this year. Congratulations to Nazgol Agah, Danya Kafai, Atussa Mohtasham, Cameron Ramos, Rachel Roberts, and Rochelle Rouhani!
The graduating students came to Iranian Studies from across campus, including computer science, economics, history, comparative literature, and symbolic systems. Their capstone projects were equally diverse, including papers written on: the concept of truth in classical Persian poetry, public opinion and the Iran nuclear deal, Rumi's poetry and finding life's meaning, Iran's response to international sanctions, and Marxist schoolgirls during the Iranian revolution.
The students were an essential part of the Iranian Studies Program and the Stanford community over the past four years. We wish them all the best in their coming endeavors!
Student Spotlights
“At this time in history, especially with the increasing turmoil in the region, it is more important than ever to begin to educate oneself in an unbiased, educated manner, and the Iranian studies minor specialization has done this for me.”
Danya Kafai graduated with a symbolic systems major and a minor in Global Studies with a focus on Iranian Studies. He will go on to work for Intel after graduation.
“I have learned so much about my heritage and how Iran plays a role in global politics. I developed many skills in the humanities, and it will definitely be an asset in my consulting career and hopefully in law school.”
Rochelle Rouhani plans to travel this summer, before starting as a management consultant at Oliver Wyman in San Francisco. Rouhani graduated with a B.A. in economics and a minor in Global Studies with a focus on Iranian Studies.
“The program was transformative for me and the classes were among the best I took at Stanford. I believe I've gained a much more nuanced understanding about how our world works which will be immensely helpful in the future.”
Cameron Ramos majored in computer science with a minor in Global Studies with a focus on Iranian Studies. He is taking a short break from his computer science co-term at Stanford to join the flight software team at SpaceX after graduation.
“My favorite class was my Persian Literature survey course with Shervin Emami because it gave me an excellent overview on a topic I'm passionate about but on which it's hard to find courses.”
Atussa Mohtasham graduated with a double degree in Comparative Literature and German Studies, and a minor in Global Studies with a specialization in Iranian Studies. In the fall of 2018, Atussa will begin a PhD program in German at Princeton University.