The idea that people should ignore the past and the mistakes we make is to me, absurd. Mistakes are a part of life's journey and are crucial to our ongoing learning and success. When I was a child I often spent summers with my grandparents. My grandfather, or “Bahman Joon” as he was known to me, committed one summer to teach me how to ride a bike. The memory is vivid, the sweltering summer heat spent in the underground garage, circling on my bike. Falling was a common occurrence. After each session, Bahman Joon encouraged patience and reflection for my continued improvement. Through this seemingly simple exercise, I learned that conquering a mistake you make over and over is likened to a hero defeating a great beast, fulfilling. But for me, it could only have happened if past mistakes had been made. My curiosity and love of history developed when I was in the seventh grade after I learned about my great-grandfather, Yadu'lláh Vahdat, Bahman Joon’s father. He was a colonel in the Imperial Iranian Army, tall, strong, and a devoted Bahá’í, like myself. His devotion however made him a target for the Iranian government and in 1981, he was executed by firing squad on the order of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, solely for his faith. When learning about this my mind was filled with confusion. Why did a firing squad execute my great-grandfather only for being a Baha'i? What course of events could have led to his unjust execution? I had to know. Learning about history is not easy for some, but for me, it came to me as I had always known how to. Pouring hundreds of hours into reading articles and books, listening to talks and podcasts about the Iranian Revolution and why it happened, it occurred to me that history was like the web of a spider, every event that transpired was connected in some way. As I delved deeper, I became enamored by historical events that have shaped our existence. The great historical explorations, such as the Portuguese expansion into Brazil, and the ways in which humanities problems were solved, like Alan Turing cracking the enigma code. History for me was like a huge jigsaw puzzle, the more I learned the more everything fit together clearly. Others would find this odd, and I wouldn’t blame them. On the outside, spending your free time reading through historical records would be considered boring, but on the inside for me the feeling is exhilarating. I could feel myself being transported into ancient battles and wars or in the crowds of fiery speeches given by emperors. I felt myself in the halls of kings and diplomats signing peace treaties. The more I learned about the past, the more I felt myself stepping into a time machine. At school, I would often get into debates with my friends about historical events. At times these debates would become passionate! I recall one debate about whether the Ottoman Empire could have survived the end of World War I if the Central Powers had won. “They were on the brink of collapse!” I exclaimed to my friends as it caused the teacher to tell us to wrap up, our debate ending at that moment. My passion for history will fuel my future career in practicing law, specifically in the area of law and technology. My love for history has enhanced my critical thinking and allowed me to see the value in reflecting on the past to improve the future. This scholarship will be a valuable contribution to my future career aspirations.

Striving to be the best version of myself so that I can contribute to the betterment of society!

One of the biggest problems facing the world right now is racism. This is a systemic illness that is rampant not only in the US but around the world. The first way we can begin combatting this issue is through education. We need to have more conversations about the reality of racism and educate ourselves. When people begin to learn more about our history and understand how racism does exist today, and what life looks like for those who are impacted by racism, we will begin to have more empathy and be motivated to come up with solutions to eradicate racism. I believe that the existence of racism is a cause of a lack of spirituality in our society. We haven't yet realized the spiritual principle that all humanity is one, regardless of skin color, ethnicity, or background. As a member of the Baha'i Faith, I believe in the principle that "the Earth is but one country and mankind its citizens." If we truly begin to practice this in our everyday life we will begin to see a change in our families, neighborhoods, cities, countries, and the entire world. Unfortunately, no political or governmental efforts have been successful. That is why a spiritual solution is needed. Many of the world's conflicts will cease if we begin to treat each other with love and respect, regardless of our race. We need to understand that no ethnic or cultural group is superior to another and that all people should receive love and respect.

My dream life is having a career that is not only personally fulfilling but can also be a service humankind. I am interested in pursuing a career in law with a focus on technology and finance. I am interested in the legal implications of cryptocurrency. I also believe cryptocurrency as a new form of currency that is decentralized may help humanity. At the same time, I value my family. I’m blessed with amazing parents and sisters. I hope one day I can marry, have children and work together with my family to help others. For me the dream life is not just filled with professional, financial or career success. The dream is filled having a fulfilling family life as well, and sharing experiences together. I want to be able to serving others through my career and with my family. I look forward to a dream life involves sharing the successes and failures with my family.

To make a positive impact on the climate I start at home together with my family changing our behavior on a daily basis. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming to figure out how one person can make it change, but it can start small. We try to carpool with our neighbors to avoid having to use excess gas and pollute the environment. Also, we live in a neighborhood where you can walk and bike, so instead of using our car, we use other methods of transportation. Also, I am trying to bring awareness to this issue with my peers in my junior youth groups and school organizations. If young people start talking more about these issues and trying to figure out how to make a change we may see some improvement in the near future. We also have to remember that to make a positive impact on the climate we all have to change our own individual behavior first.

I am trying to make a positive impact on the world by serving as an advocate for environmental issues. I am trying to have a positive impact through my passion for improving the struggle against climate change. I am also passionate about other environmental issues such as the growing number of invasive species and want to learn how to address these concerns. I am working on several initiatives to create and form organizations that allow young people to be more actively involved in environmental matters on a global level. I also believe that impacting the world starts at a grassroots level at our own home. I have encouraged my family to participate in recycling. It took some time to get into the routine, but then our family became accustomed to recycling. This gave me inspiration that if I was able to influence my family at home, then I can take the same methods and apply them to the outside community. I am excited about the opportunities ahead and hope that I can make a positive impact on the world and improve the environment for future generations.