From Refugee to Speaker: Parsa's Journey

About this episode

Parsa Zareiesfandabadi shares his inspiring journey from being an Iranian refugee to delivering a commencement speech at Durham Technical Community College.

Parsa Zareiesfandabadi, a 33-year-old Iranian refugee, will deliver the commencement speech at Durham Technical Community College. Born into the Bahai faith, he fled Iran at 16, leaving his parents behind. After a stint in Turkey, he arrived in North Carolina with his aunt and uncle, learning English through books, movies, and online lessons. He juggled school with multiple jobs, built a close-knit community, and reunited with a sibling. Despite missing his own graduations, hes now pursuing a Ph.D. in biology and developmental mechanics at Duke. This speaking engagement is a chance to celebrate others while embracing his roots and encouraging graduates to do the same. Support the show: Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN: advertise@thednn.ai This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting. Report issues to feedback@thednn.ai. View sources & latest updates: https://sources.thednn.ai/8591910f7328c7e2

People in this episode

Guest: Parsa Zareiesfandabadi

Topics covered

• refugee experience
• education
• immigration
• personal growth
• community
• Ph.D. journey

Keywords

• refugee
• commencement speech
• Durham Technical Community College
• Ph.D.
• Iran
• North Carolina
• community
• education

Sponsors

Solipillow

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Durham Technical Community College, Duke

Places: Iran, Turkey, North Carolina

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