President's Perspective
Winter 2024By President Ali R. Malekzadeh, PhD
This issue explores the idea of journeys. Personally, this theme particularly resonates with me. My life turned when what was meant to be a simple geographical journey morphed into a profound transformation of personal identity—from Iranian to Iranian-American.
When I was a teenager in Iran, I was invited by a South African family to visit them over the summer. I applied for a visa at the British Embassy but was denied because I had checked the box for “White,” rather than “Honorary White”—South Africa was still governed by the harsh racial segregation policy, known as Apartheid, and “Honorary White” was the political term referencing people who would otherwise be treated as non-whites under the Population Registration Act. It was an early lesson in the complicated racial lines that are intermingled with geographic boundaries.
But it proved to be a fortuitous swerve. Instead of going to South Africa, my parents sent me to live with an American family in Denver, Colorado. Despite how far I traveled, I quickly came to feel at home. Not only were the people I met warm and welcoming, but the mountains surrounding Denver reminded me of Tehran. I even got to watch the moon landing on television with my American family! I loved the time I spent there.
It proved to be a more life-changing journey than I ever could have imagined. Because of how much I enjoyed Colorado, I ended up attending college in the U.S. While I was there, the Iranian Revolution occurred, which meant that my temporary sojourn became a permanent relocation. And I began a lifelong journey from Iranian to Iranian-American. It was a lesson not just about the inevitability of change but how that change often does not coincide with our own plans. I learned that one must embrace the journey itself. Indeed, the very essence of life lies in our journeys, not our final destinations.
So, the concept of a journey is a rich and powerful one for me. I suspect that many of you share this feeling.
Going to college marks one of the great journeys of our life—from youth to adulthood. For many of us, this is the first time we live apart from our families. It is our first opportunity to build a life largely on our own terms. We get to decide not just what classes we take and what our major will be but also how to live day-to-day life. And of course, there is the intellectual journey.
Most people will never again be exposed to so many different ideas and points of view in such a short period of time as when they are in college. This diversity of thought causes us to wrestle with profound existential questions about what sort of person we hope to be, what values we want to live by, and what effect we hope to have on the world. If we are lucky, this will only be the opening chapter in a lifelong journey. These years of focused thought can light a fire of curiosity and wonder that will continue for the rest of our life. I know my education had that effect on me.
This issue of the Roosevelt Review will explore the idea of journeys and the importance of exposure to people, cultures, and environments different from our own. These journeys can be as simple as a visit to a community just miles from our own homes or a visit to a country on the far side of the world. The first article by Marjorie Jolles and Sarah Maria Rutter looks at a year-long excursion-based Honors experience, which included travel to different local neighborhoods to learn about Chicago’s rich architecture and design history through a social justice lens. Although the distance traveled was short, these students experienced the city in an entirely new way. In another essay,
alumnus Matthew Beardmore explores the cultural isolation he experienced growing up in suburban Chicago and how he and his wife use travel to open his young son’s eyes to the world. He writes how travel has not just enriched their lives but has also helped them teach their son about social justice. And longtime Review contributor Carla Beecher shares alumna Sahara Rose De Vore’s awe-inspiring story—how her travels to more than 80 countries inspired the creation of The Travel Coach Network. Finally, the issue concludes with student profiles of Gabriel Gonzalez, who studied abroad in Spain, and Chazz Rolle, who is the president of Roosevelt’s international student association.
As you read this issue, I hope you are inspired to undertake your own journeys either locally or to more farflung locales. You will meet wonderful people, eat delicious food, and hear joyful music. Most importantly, your travels will provide an opportunity to take the greatest journey of all—the journey of self-discovery.
With warm regards,
Ali R. Malekzadeh, Ph.D.
President
Please do not hesitate to let me know your thoughts and ideas about Roosevelt University.
Write me at president@roosevelt.edu.
As always, I look forward to hearing from you.
More in this section
Chazz Rolle (she/her): Creating a Home in a New Country
Chazz Rolle often contemplates how day-to-day life in Chicago differs so greatly from her hometown in the Bahamas. She has also realized a distinctly American mindset she’s needed to adjust too.
Gabriel Gonzalez (he/him): Embracing an International Mindset
Studying abroad in Spain taught Gabriel Gonzalez to quickly embrace cultural customs. When he wasn’t studying urban planning or Spanish literature, he was able to wander the old world streets, enjoy a tapas meal or explore an art museum.
President’s Perspective
It is tempting to dismiss it as political posturing, but the debate over DEI is part of a more foundational debate over issues such as fairness and even about what it means to be American.