Iranian-American Scholarship Fund - IASF

Warm congratulations to 2022-23 academic year scholarship recipients:

Mohammad Saffari Doost >> UC Davis – Medicine

Kasra Rahmati >> UCLA – Medicine

Mona Amirseyedian >> UC Irvine – Political Science, Economics, Philosophy

Dorsa Fahami >> Columbia University – Education

Sahar Oliaei >> Columbia University – Dental

Ladan Khoddam Khorasani >> New York University – Creative Writing

Tara Sadat Vahdani >> University of Chicago – Social Work

Ali Nillforoush >> University of Virginia – Biomedical Engineering

Lila Kazerooni >> USC – Human Biology

Deanna Moghadas >> UCLA – Data Theory

Join us in establishing a named scholarship in honor of one of our most popular and enduring artists, Googoosh / گوگوش.

As a testament to this incredible icon and her lasting legacy, scholarships named for Googoosh will be awarded to Iranian-American students studying music, songwriting or performing arts in the United States for generations to come.

We hope you will contribute to support the creative endeavors of these promising and talented students here:

https://iasfund.org/donations/googoosh-scholarship/

Thank you!

While in San Diego, I was introduced to a non-profit organization that has been helping Iranian students for over 23 years. The Iranian American Scholarship Fund has awarded over $750,000 in 369 scholarships to date. I am honored that a scholarship has been established in my name to encourage Iranian students who want to pursue music and performing arts, an area of study which is not supported or encouraged enough in our culture. I would love to see the next generation of Iranian students follow in the footsteps of the many artistic talents of our country and to preserve and build on the rich musical and art foundation that we are leaving behind for them.   Please join me in donating to a cause that is so near and dear to my heart. Music and arts education is for everyone! 💻: https://iasfund.org/donations 📱: @iasf4students مفتخرم که بورسیه ای به نام من برای دانشجویان ایرانی ایجاد شده است‌. این بورسیه برای دانشجویانی هست که می خواهند موسیقی و هنرهای نمایشی را دنبال کنند، حوزه ای که در فرهنگ ما به اندازه کافی حمایت یا تشویق نمی شود. لطفا در اهدا کردن، شما هم به من بپیوندید.

Join us in establishing a named scholarship in honor of one of our most popular and enduring artists, Googoosh / گوگوش! You can donate here: https://iasfund.org/donations/googoosh-scholarship/

Your contribution in the next week to the Googoosh Scholarship will receive a matching fund through the generosity of two of our donors!

As a testament to this incredible icon and her lasting legacy, scholarships named for Googoosh will be awarded to Iranian-American students studying music, songwriting or performing arts in the United States.

For information about upcoming Googoosh concerts in the US and Canada visit www.ticketmaster.com for TWENTY ONE - THE WORLD TOUR.

Thank you for investing in the next generation of Iranian-American artists!

Meet IASF Scholarship Recipient, Saba Daneshpooy (), a first-generation Iranian-American and third-year medical student at Cooper Medical School!

About Saba:

"I grew up living in a myriad of different areas, from Winnipeg, to Tehran, Philadelphia, Vancouver, San Francisco, Sacramento, some small towns in-between, and now back to Philly!

Growing up, I was a very artistic child and teen. I started playing piano at age six, danced ballet for over ten years, wrote for a magazine in college and became its editor in chief while there. I continue to channel my passion through writing poetry for my medical school's arts and humanities journal.

In high school, I found myself pulled toward physiology and anatomy courses. Having come from a family with no doctors, I was unsure of my capabilities of reaching this newfound goal of getting into medical school. I was the first in my family to take the SAT, apply to college in the US, take the MCAT, apply to medical school and soon apply to residency! There was a lot of doubt along the way, but if it weren't for the unconditional support from my family and the mentors I found during various stages of my journey, I wouldn't be where I am now.

Most of all, I am grateful for my favorite three loving mentors, my parents and my little brother, for always picking me up when I am down and encouraging me to keep it up even when I don't believe in myself.

With the IASF scholarship, I will be able to complete my medical education and pursue a career that will allow me to practice what I love every day. I have always been passionate about women's health. Currently, I am interested in either ob/gyn or breast oncology. As I navigate which speciality is the right one for me, I rejoice in knowing that I will be able to help many women regardless of which path I choose to take."

Congratulations, Saba!

We are so proud of our 2021-2022 Iranian-American Scholarship Fund scholarship recipients! It is an honor to support these distinguished students in pursuing their dreams through the study of public policy, philosophy, medicine and more. Welcome to the family!

Stay tuned for scholar spotlights. ✨

Kasaan Maryam Hammon was born in Iran and moved to the United States when she was 5 years old. She grew up in Hawaii with a lifelong passion for music and the performing arts. As a high school student, she attended Idyllwild Arts Academy in Southern California, and after graduating, began college studies in the arts at Northwestern University and California Institute of the Arts. A longing to work in the music industry led her to leave college without graduating, and she spent many years working as a singer, songwriter, and artist manager, working for notable artists like Albert Hammond and Chaka Khan over the years.

While she loved music and entertainment, she also discovered a passion for working with kids and education, which should not have been surprising since she comes from a family of teachers. However, in 2018, she was a single mom working two jobs with a young child, so going back to school to finish her degree to be a teacher seemed like an impossible dream. She started looking into scholarships that might help her begin to afford this big undertaking, and that is how she learned about IASF. In addition to the scholarship opportunity, Kasaan was excited to find a community of Iranian-Americans. Having grown up in Hawaii and lived all over the country, she did not have a close community of Persian support that she is so thankful to have found at IASF.

With the help of IASF, she completed her undergraduate degree with honors in 2020, and she is now completing her Master of Arts in Teaching Writing at Johns Hopkins University. She teaches songwriting, voice, and humanities part-time at Idyllwild Arts Academy, and she hopes to be teaching full-time soon. Her original song “Alarm,” for which she wrote the music and lyrics, is currently honored to be in the Finals of the International Songwriting Competition, one of the biggest songwriting competitions in the world. Listen to “Alarm” here: https://youtu.be/oscAbWW6YJ8

On behalf of our generous donors, the Board of Directors of the Iranian-American Scholarship Fund (IASF) is pleased to announce the opening of the 2021-22 Academic Year scholarship application period through June 5, 2021!

Successful applicants at accredited US colleges or universities must demonstrate a commitment to community service, academic excellence, and financial need.

Please visit the Iranian-American Scholarship Fund website at www.iasfund.org for more information.

We are excited to receive this year's applications and look forward to assisting students achieve their educational goals.

IASF Board member Nadia Farjood writes:

Justice Ginsburg, queen of the nerdy girls and the very best of our better angels, we admire you more than you’ll ever know.

Thank you for your courage and conviction, which not only unlocked the door, but kicked it it wide open for generations of women to follow and pursue the practice of law.

Thank you for smashing the status quo with your tireless and tenacious advocacy, inspired by your unwavering commitment to equal justice under law and achieved by your pioneering legal arguments.

Thank you for rising to the podium at the Supreme Court, again and again, to battle gender discrimination, winning landmark decisions that have changed the world for American women as we know it.

Thank you for every brilliant decision, and every thundering dissent.

Thank you for showing us to never mistake soft-spokenness for lack of force.

Thank you for your resilience as you beat back cancer for decades, with the tough-as-nails spirit that will define your legacy.

Thank you for every plank and push-up in your 80s.

Thank you for the power of your example, for in striving to be you, we are becoming the advocates and citizens we were meant to be.

You are a patriot who has changed the course of our nation, forever.

We hope you rest in peace.
We know you lived in justice.

Love you, always.

The Board of Directors of IASF are happy to announce: Following students will be receiving a scholarship from the Iranian-American Scholarship Fund for the academic year of 2020-21:

GRADUATE Category

Nina Afsar- George Washington University
Alaleh Azhir – Harvard University
Brandon Badamtchian - Lake Erie College
Yasmin Byott – Duke University
Sara Esmaili – John Hopkins University
Bita Fathipouir – University of Washington
Soraya Fereydooni – Yale University
Nader Mehrgani – University of Nevada
Daniel Mishail – UCLA
Ladan Navari – Ohio State University
Ariana Nickmanesh – Georgetown University
Nadia Shojaie – Baylor University
Ali Reza Sasani – Tufts University

UNDERGRADUATE Category

Madelyn Etami –George Washington University
Milad Heydari – Georgia Institute of Technology
Kylie Martin – Boise State University
Noah Rofagha – UC Berkeley
Sepanta Sarraf – UC Berkeley
Parisa Sharif – University of Texas San Antonio
Amirardavan E. Shirazi – UC Berkeley
Ariana Tagavi- University of Michigan