LOS ANGELES – Thirty-two immigrant students from all over the world now
living in California will be awarded HIAS scholarships in an Aug. 22nd
ceremony at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

HIAS
– the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society – will award the scholarships to
recognize the students’ academic achievements, financial need and
community involvement. In all, HIAS will award $225,000 – all of it
from private donations – at ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York. 
Several hundred students applied for the coveted awards, which were
decided upon by a nationwide Scholarship Committee. To qualify,
applicants must be an immigrant who was assisted by HIAS. A list of the
winners from California follows.

“A HIAS scholarship is a mitzvah
like no other – it truly epitomizes the Jewish value of doing a good
deed, and lending a helping hand,” says Donald J. Fleishaker, HIAS
board member and chair of the scholarship committee.  “Every
scholarship donor can feel proud that their mitzvot encourage these exceptional students to continue their pursuit of higher education and personal dreams.”

This
year’s recipients come from the far corners of the world; a few have
had particularly difficult journeys not only as refugees or children of
refugees, but as people with physical challenges.

One
such student, Golnaz Balakhani, arrived in America at the age of 17
with her family in 1992, having fled Iran.  Diagnosed with a
degenerative form of Muscular Dystrophy, Ms. Balakhani has nonetheless
managed to earn an associate degree in psychology from a community
college in her new hometown of Baltimore and is now working toward a
bachelor’s degree at Towson University there.

“The
HIAS scholarship will be a big help to me,” she says. “It means a lot
to me because I would like to be a successful psychologist and want to
give something back to the community and society at large.”  While her
condition presents her with many hurdles, she is grateful to her
family, especially her mother and rothers, who have helped her to
overcome the obstacles.

Like Ms. Balakhani,
many of the recipients are already well into their advanced education,
preparing to be doctors, lawyers, teachers and scientists, among many
diverse disciplines. 

“It’s truly
remarkable what some of these new young Americans have done, especially
given the fact that they come from places where they were treated like
second-class citizens or worse,” says Gideon
Aronoff, president and CEO of HIAS.  “I can’t tell you how proud I am
of these kids, as well as how good it makes me feel to be part of this
organization.”

A second HIAS
scholarship program in Israel gives immigrants to that country the
opportunity to pursue higher education by granting numerous
scholarships to exceptional students.  Those awards will be awarded in
a ceremony there later this year.

Rosette Abayahoudian
Los Angeles
(Tehran)

Yalda Azarmehr
Encino, Calif.
(Shiraz, Iran)

Khashayar Behdad
Tarzana, Calif.
(Shiraz, Iran)

Yakov Berenshteyn
Pleasanton, Calif.
(St.Petersburg)

Vyacheslav Blazer
San Francisco
(Chishinau, Moldova)

Ora Esfahani
Los Angeles
(Tehran)

Makhmal Farhadian
Los Angeles
(Isfahan, Iran)

Sara Harooni
Beverly Hills, Calif.
(Tehran)

Farnaz Haroonian
Los Angeles
(Tehran)

Shadi Harouni
Beverly Hills, Calif.
(Hamedan, Iran)

Yasamin Kakan
Tarzana, Calif.
(Shiraz, Iran)

Roubina Khakshoor
Beverly Hills, Calif.
(Tehran)

Bita Khakshoor Kohan
Los Angeles
(Tehran)

Julie Kuperman
Reseda, Calif.
(Lipetsk, Russia)

Anna Lederman
San Francisco
(Grodno, Belarus)

Saman Manesh
Berkeley, Calif.
(Tehran)

Ardavan Mashhadian
Los Angeles
(Tehran)

Ashkan Morim
Santa Monica, Calif.
(Tehran)

Neda Nourmand
Encino, Calilf.
(Shiraz, Iran)

Peyman Pedram
Beverly Hills, Calif.
(Tehran)

Aslan Pirouzmanesh
Los Angeles
(Shiraz, Iran)

Nina Ram
Encino, Calif.
(Shiraz, Iran)

Zhobin Ram
Encino, Calif.
(Shiraz, Iran)

Nariman Saadt
Beverly Hills, Calif.
(Tehran)

Ramona Saketkhou
Beverly Hills, Calif.
(Tehran)

Damoon Songhorian
Los Angeles
(Tehran)

Sina Tebi
Los Angeles
(Tehran)

Elina Tilman
San Francisco
(Tashkent)

Yousha Yaghoobzadeh
Tarzana, Calif.
(Shiraz, Iran)

Saman Yashari
Los Angeles
(Tehran)

Pedram Zarabian
Encino, Calif.
(Shiraz, Iran)

Samira Zarbakhsh
Los Angeles
(Shiraz, Iran)