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FAIRBANKS Samaneh Yourdkhani came to America for a familiar reason. The same as other immigrants, my target was very simple, she explained. It was for a financial future. And to get an education because the U.S. has a huge variety of universities and degrees.

Samaneh grew up in Iran and is pursuing a Ph.D. in biomathematics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Having earned her bachelors and masters degrees in mathematics at Irans Semnan University, she had few job prospects in her country other than teaching. America, she said, offers better opportunities for her skills.

I wanted to find an application of mathematics in the real world. In Iran, most courses are very theoretical. But here, for example, in biomathematics you can find many interesting subjects. The relation between genes. Its quite amazing.

Samaneh said that areas of research like biomathematics, which uses mathematics to better understand biological organisms, dont exist in Iran. Most opportunities for graduates in mathematics are found in the academic field. This is why, After my masters degree I taught in universities for six years. And after that I was an educational and research assistant for three years.

Samaneh was born and raised in a small town outside of Tehran, a city she says she loves despite of its crowds and hectic pace. The north of Tehran has mountains, and its very green and beautiful, she said. When she was living in the city proper, every weekend we went out to the mountains.

She said the universities in Iran are quite rigorous compared to American colleges and provide students with a well-rounded education. We have to pass 20credits every semester. About eight or nine courses. But here, I see that students just have two or three courses.

On the other hand, she said in America students are better at studying together, and professors are much more approachable. Private tutoring, which many American students take advantage of, is rare in Iran.

It was in 2009 while working on Qeshm Island near Dubai in conjunction with Canadas Carleton University that she first contemplated going abroad for her Ph.D. My boss tried to get me to go to Canada at Carleton, she said. At that time I couldnt. But after that I was thinking Id go somewhere.

First, however she needed to earn money and learn English. It took me eight or nine years to prepare, she said.

Finally, after clearing all the paperwork, I applied to five universities. Florida, Michigan and Wyoming. And one of them was Alaska. I was admitted by four of them, and one of them was UAF.

Since UAF offered full funding, she chose to come here. However, she said, I didnt have any information on Alaska. I just Googled it and found some pictures of ice and snowy weather. I think we dont have enough information about Alaska on the internet.

Samaneh did have one contact, however. One of my friends was studying at UAF, and he was from Iran. He said that here is a good place to start. Its very quiet, and UAF gives a lot of assistance to students.

Samaneh arrived on Sept. 3, 2015. I came to Alaska without any picture of it. When I was coming from the airport to campus, I was thinking about how beautiful it is here. Everywhere was green. The sky was pure blue. It was fantastic.

In one way, Alaska has been a good fit for her. It always was my dream to live someplace that has 24 hours of daylight, she said. So summer here is amazing for me. I love it. Also, nature is very beautiful here.

On the other hand, she admitted shes not fond of winter. I can tolerate it for two or three months, but not seven months. She said the darkness doesnt bother her and she actually tolerates subzero temperatures well, but the sheer length of winter in Fairbanks exhausts her.

Samaneh has found the people in Fairbanks welcoming and has made many friends, but because she doesnt have a car, getting around town is difficult, especially for someone coming from a country with a modern public transportation system.

I think that Fairbanks is good to live in because its not too big and not very crowded, she said. But I have some problems here. For example, transportation here is not good at all. In Tehran, we have a lot of public buses and taxis and a subway.

Shes also connected with the small but close knit community of Iranians on campus that gets together for dinners and on Iranian holidays. New Years in Iran is the 23rd of March. And so we got together and had a lot of Iranian food and some nuts. When we get together most foods are Iranian, but sometimes we have pizza.

She also has many friends in California, where most of the Iranians living in America are found. I love California, she said. Especially Los Angeles because most immigrant Iranians live in Los Angeles and San Francisco. There are many Iranian shops. In Los Angeles, there is a street nicknamed Tehrangeles. All of the street is Iranian shops and Iranian ice cream and bread.

Samaneh said she would ultimately like to live in L.A. after she finishes her studies, but in the meantime shes enjoying Alaska and hoping to bring her mother here for a visit. Coming from a country where little is known about Alaska, she said the state should do more to reach out to potential visitors.

I think we should advertise this beauty of Alaska to other people. People do not have much information about Alaska. They just think about snowy weather and always the weather is icy. Some people even think that there is no internet here. They think that here it is like a village.

Fairbanks is more than a village for Samaneh. Though it wont be her final destination, its a good stop along her pathway there.

David James is a freelance writer who lives in Fairbanks.Becoming Alaskan is an ongoing series documenting the lives of immigrants in Fairbanks. Feedback and suggestions for future interviews can be emailed to nobugsinak@gmail.com.

Read more from the original source:
An education in Alaska draws a student from Iran - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner