Rowan Kian Sadr took his time and finally arrived on May 8, 2021, at 8 pounds, 15 ounces, to his grateful and exhausted parents, Ideen Sadr and Alyssa Earley, in San Francisco. Juju (his shortened nickname from “Jujeh”) is now 7 months old and enjoys trying food, loves all kinds of music, “talking” and laughing, and trying to keep up with his cousin Mika.
Mika (Joon) Sadr was born January 24, 2021, 17 minutes before her due date, disproving all allegations that Persians are always late. She has hated milk from birth, but we believe she was born this way to allow her dad to maintain his 10 hour sleep schedule. Her tan skin comes from her love of carrots and her blue eyes have yet to change, fingers crossed. We think her first word will be Ziba, the name of her pet dog, who is constantly being yelled at for chewing up baby toys. She plans to start Persian school as soon as possible so she can teach her mom to become fluent in Farsi. In the meantime, she sees her grandparents twice weekly for immersion into the culture and she is the light of their hearts.
Radin Yousefi was born on November 20, 2021, to Omid and Shabnam Yousefi.
Mila Sanchez was born on September 3, 2021, at 6 pounds, 10 ounces, to Bita Mohammady and Mikael Sanchez. She has already grown so much in the past three months and has been such a happy baby. She enjoys looking around at her surroundings, meeting new people, and spending time with family.
It is with great pleasure to announce that Mariam Gheissari and Shervin Afrashteh will be holding their marriage ceremony this February 2022 in San Diego. Mariam and Shervin met during their undergraduate studies at UC Irvine and went on to pursue medicine and dentistry, respectively. Growing up in San Diego, Mariam was a longtime student at ISSD and an active member of the Persian Cultural Center.
Hamid and Parisa Rafizadeh are proud to anounce the marriage of their daughter Nikta Rafizadeh to Michael Young on May 8th, 2021, at the Rancho Bernardo Inn. The couple met as undergraduates at San Diego State University and now reside in Orange County. Nikta is a proud alumna of ISSD.
Dr. Mahmood Mahdavi—a “legend,” according to Peyk’s Shahri Estakhry—has retired. In honor of Dr. Mahdavi’s milestone, Mrs. Estakhry shares the following: “Soon after I moved to San Diego, I was referred to Dr. Mahdavi, ENT specialist. This was in 1987. For 34 years, he not only was my ENT specialist, but also a good friend, a guide to introducing me to the best specialists at Scripps, as well as a supporter of different aspects of need for our community.
Dr. Mahdavi completed medical school at Tehran University in 1967 and completed his American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery in 1976. He completed his internship in 1973 and did his residency in 1976 at the University of Chicago’s hospitals and clinics.
After moving to San Diego with his family in 1985, Dr. Mahdavi began his practice part time at Mission Bay Hospital and after a year opened his office at Scripps Memorial Hospital.
For as long as I remember, Dr. Mahdavi and his family have supported our community organizations and programs. He is one of the founders of the Iranian-American Scholarship Fund and a member of Persian Cultural Center, as well as other organizations.
It is time for us as a community to thank him profoundly for his services and making us proud of the caliber of humanity he has shown. We wish him a happy retirement and many, many years of enjoyment ahead.”
Ali Pirouzian, Registered Civil Engineer and Program Manager for Construction Engineering and Materials Lab Section in County of San Diego, Department of Public Works, received a prestigious “Distinguished Owner Honoree Award” from the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) for the year 2021 among five other Agencies’ Managers.
The CMAA is an industry association dedicated to the practice of professional construction management. CMAA represents more than 16,000 members, including federal/state/local government and private sector owners, construction consultants, technology suppliers, academia, and legal organizations all with a common goal: to improve our nation’s infrastructure.
Radin Rahimzadeh, an alumna of ISSD, cofounded Fore Transit to find sustainable ways to move goods and people. She co-invented patent-pending aerodynamic kits with her co-founder that improve truck efficiency by up to 21%. Fore Transit also has an IoT device to track air-quality metrics of vehicles in its network. It has raised $250,000 and expects revenue of $2 million in 2022.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30/2022/manufacturing-industry?profile=radin-rahimzadeh
Ranin Kazemi, Associate Professor of History at SDSU, was selected as the new Director of the International Business (IB) Program. According to SDSU’s announcement: “With broad international and interdisciplinary experience, Professor Kazemi is superbly qualified to direct IB and to lead the program into the next phase of its growth. His research focuses on the histories of trade, capitalism, and international business, including a project on British tobacco interests and nationalist protest in nineteenth-century Iran. He is fluent or conversant in multiple languages, including Persian, English, Arabic, Turkish, French, Urdu, Kurdish, and Azeri Turkish.” Professor Kazemi shared this statement about his new role: “I am delighted to join a wonderful team of colleagues who have made International Business one of the top-ranking programs in the country. The program allows students to gain global opportunities, cultural awareness, and language appreciation, while also preparing them for a diverse workforce.” For the full announcement, see:
https://cal.sdsu.edu/our-faculty/stories/new-ib-director
