Collection
Latinx Civil Rights
Contributor
Angelo, Megan (Interviewer); Perez, Elizabeth (Interviewer, Transcribed by); Samandi, Amir (Interviewee)
Publication Date
2022
Description
Amir Samandi describes his high school experiences including attending a predominately white school as a person of color. He mentions the efforts of teachers who supported him in pursuing higher education. Amir also discusses his undergraduate education at St. Mary’s University and the environment of the community. He then explains how his career led him to create a nonprofit that focuses on young students and how his personal experience connects with the organization's mission.
Biography
Amir Samandi is from Friendswood, Texas and is half Persian, half Mexican-American. He began his undergraduate education at St. Mary’s University in 1998 and graduated in 2022 with a BA in international relations. Samandi was also an adjunct professor at St. Mary’s from 2007 until 2018 teaching courses on political science and international relations. He received a masters degree in international affairs from George Washington State. After this, he worked for the Washington Post in digital advertising and, later, for the U.S. State Department. Samandi eventually created the Students of Service (SOS), a nonprofit organization that creates study abroad opportunities for young students. He is the executive director of the organization and serves as a career mentor for CAST Tech High School.
Interview Index
0:33 Early education and upbringing
9:16 Higher education and early career
14:48 Nonprofit impact
16:57 Career & education experience leading to starting a nonprofit
25:19 Nonprofit mission & work
33:02 Attending an HSI
34:55 Obstacles & current career
40:49 Takeaways & advice
Keywords
Accessibility, community, diversity, higher education, K-12, Latinx, nonprofit, study abroad
Size or Duration
15 pages; 44 minutes, 10 seconds
Format
Docx; WAV
Disciplines
Chicana/o Studies | Latina/o Studies | Oral History | Public History
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Angelo, Megan and Perez, Elizabeth, "Amir Samandi" (2022). Latinx Civil Rights. 20.
https://commons.stmarytx.edu/mascroh/20
Included in
Chicana/o Studies Commons, Latina/o Studies Commons, Oral History Commons, Public History Commons