Boston, MA (April 2, 2008) - Iranian Alliances Across Borders is pleased to announce its first Iranian-American Student Summit, to be held during the weekend of April 4-6, 2008 at Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA.  The Iranian-American Student Summit will bring together representatives from eleven different universities for a weekend of exploring the challenges, goals and successes of Iranian-American student organizations.

The Iranian-American Student Summit aims to provide an opportunity for student leaders from around the country to get to know other Iranian-American student leaders, promote increased communication between student groups, allow students to reflect on shared challenges and strategies for running an effective student organization, as well as inspire them to re-imagine the role that student groups can play in the American university community and the Iranian-American community at large. 

Project Manager Shabnam Sharbatoghlie explains, "IAAB's Student Summit will bring together board members of Iranian student organizations from universities and colleges around the country to engage in open dialogue with one another, to learn from each other, and to assess ways in which Iranian student organizations can provide an increased level of support for the greater Iranian community.  Our hope is that through bringing student leaders together, they will form lasting connections with one another, as well as a strong network that they can rely on in the future."

Beyond discussions and group activities, the Summit will host several leaders of the Iranian-American community who will speak about their experiences, including: Ms. Banafsheh Akhlaghi, President and Founder of the National Legal Sanctuary for Community Advancement (NLSCA); Ms. Mahdis Keshavarz, Principal of The Make Agency and Director of Media and Public Relations at BoomGen Studios; Ms. Niloofar Nouri of The Persian Center at Berkeley and Founder of UC Berkeley's Iranian Student Cultural Organization; and Ms. Niaz Kasravi, Director of Community Relations for the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans.

The Iranian-American Student Summit is made possible in part by a grant from PARSA foundation.  For more information about the Student Summit, please visit www.iranianalliances.org/summit.  For further inquiries, please contact summit@iranianalliances.org.

About: Iranian Alliances Across Borders (IAAB) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization that addresses issues of the Iranian diaspora by facilitating community building, developing ways to better understand what it means to be part of a diaspora community, and helping members of the Iranian diaspora community enhance connections with their new communities as well as maintain connections with their root community.  In particular, Iranian Alliances Across Borders strives to raise awareness of the Iranian culture and community; promote leadership in the Iranian diaspora community, with a specific focus on the younger generation; and connect Iranians across borders through a variety of projects.  For more information, please visit our website at www.iranianalliances.org.

... Payvand News - 04/03/08 ...