The value of a UWA degree

I’d always been thinking of pursuing my postgraduate study in a high-rank university. My dream came true following my immigration to Australia in 2010. After working in industry for some years, I finally decided to pursue my PhD research in engineering here at the UWA.

Since I came here, I've noticed a big difference in how people from different cultural, political and religious backgrounds peacefully work and study together. The comparison to the situation in Iran, where some people are banned from study only because of their belief system, makes me sad. My heart goes with those students who were attacked in their dormitory at Tehran University after their peaceful protest by the Iran dictatorship regime back in 1999. I really appreciate living in such a peaceful country and studying at such an excellent university.

I’m passionate about human rights and currently my main concern is human rights violation in Iran. Unfortunately, over the past 39 years since the Islamic revolution in 1979, the Iran dictatorship regime has executed thousands of innocent people just because of their different belief system. The regime has ruined our rich culture by enforcing their ideology and built extreme systematic corruption that has resulted in very high inflation and unemployment rates. The crime and addiction rates have increased dramatically. There are so many other issues that can’t be counted in this short space.

I believe in the power of people, not people in power. That’s why my friends and I created the Save Iran group to raise awareness about the human rights violation in Iran and to be the voice of the Iranian victims. I strongly believe if people all around the world from different ethnicity and background work together, hand in hand, they can create change not only in Iran but worldwide. We can make the world a better place to live for ourselves and for the future generations.

Joining UWA is one of the turning points in my life. I’ve been learning a lot from both academic and other staff and students. I’m improving my academic and technical knowledge that will help me in my career. I’m also learning the values in life and how human beings can peacefully and respectfully live and work together and support each other. I see how we can overcome the obstacles by working as a team. Since we created the Save Iran group I’ve been desperately looking for some relevant organisations to echo the voice of the Iranian victims and condemn the brutality of the Iranian fascist regime. I’m really glad that people in the UWA community have always been supportive and helpful. I’d like to thank the Development and Alumni Relations team, Inclusion and Diversity team, Amnesty International and Student Guild at the UWA for their fantastic support of our cause at the Save Iran group.