About Me

I am an Iranian-American, born and raised in Southern California. Both of my parents are engineers and I am thankful to them for instilling a strong work (and play) ethic and love of learning in my childhood. I always had a creative flair growing up and I strayed away from the vocations that were familiar in our household. I went to UC San Diego for my undergraduate studies, where a completed a double major in Visual Arts and Communications.  After 21 years near the coast, my studies took me to a cooler (in temperature) location--Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania--where I completed my Masters in Arts Management at Carnegie Mellon University. I was impressed with the academics and blossoming art scene, but ultimately my family and the ocean drew me back to the west coast after finishing my program. For the last four years and 4 months I have been the Program Promotion Manager for the Visual Arts Department at UC San Diego where I work with dynamic and talented artists and art historians day in and day out.

I am intrigued by the ying and yang of left brain convergent thinking and right brain divergent thinking. This push and pull between logic and creativity has been ever-present in my academic interests and, fittingly, it is now the area of inquiry for my dissertation. As a current doctoral student in Educational Leadership I want to know more about the benefits of the arts in higher education, particularly how the arts contribute towards STEM disciplines. The growing STEM to STEAM movement provides a rich backdrop for exploring programs that put this theory to practice.

A few fun facts about me....
favorite color: purple
favorite food: pomegranate
favorite sport: swimming
favorite pastime: traveling
unexpected attribute: thrill seeker (been known to jump out of planes)
contradictory fear: climbing rickety ladders