Faran Imani
Student Spotlight (2015)
Norco College Honors student Faran Imani has been awarded a Transfer Alliance Program
scholarship for $10,000 to attend UCLA. He is the second Norco student to earn this
transfer scholarship.
TAP scholarships are tied to the completion of the scholars/honors program at a California
Community College. Scholarships are based on merit and financial need. A TAP scholarship
winner receives $5,000 a year for the two years at the university level.
“I am grateful to be chosen as a UCLA TAP scholarship recipient,” said Imani, who
graduated from Corona High School in 2011 and picked UCLA over UC Berkeley. “It is
amazing to see how my hard work paid off.”
Imani’s journey to UCLA began in his parents’ native homeland in Iran. His parents,
Faramarz and Nahid, were members of the Baha’i Faith, the country’s largest minority
religion in Iran. He says that after a political uprising, “new systematic persecution”
of the Baha’is started.
“My mom escaped the country, while my dad, who was studying on a student visa in the
United States, realized he might never return to his homeland in Iran for fear of
being persecuted,” Imani said. “I remember being intrigued by the captivating stories
my parents told about how politics rapidly changed their lives, stories that eventually
contributed to my desire to become a political science major. I was bewildered by
not only how one political event could change the course of my parents’ lives, but
also how it could affect the entire world.”
His parents’ stories set him on a course he never imagined for himself. Imani began
attending political conferences from California to Maine. For the last two summers
he has traveled to the Eastern seaboard to attend a 10-day conference. In Santa Ana
he joined the Citizen Leadership Program at the Delhi Center.
“Participating in these sessions gave me a new outlook on how individuals can use
voting as a tool to make a difference,” Imani said. “I gained a realization of how
social and political activism truly makes a difference in the community and, consequently,
the positive effect it can have on our society.”
Imani’s desire for political action at Norco College eventually led him to Honors
Program Coordinator Lyn Greene. It was the spring semester of 2012 and he was looking
to make a difference on campus. A decision to run for secretary of the Norco Scholars
Association further defined his educational path.
“That decision changed everything for me,” he said. “Dr. Greene really helped me reevaluate
what I wanted and where I wanted to go as a student. Looking back on my experience
in the Honors Program, I realize the real benefit of the program is not the fine look
that it has on a personal statement, or the “H” on a transcript, but the motivating
environment created by the students and staff who work diligently to build a community
that is far more greater than anything a piece of paper could reveal.”
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