Separated by 55 years and 2 continents, Azadeh Baniasad finds an on-campus tie to her past

In 1971 - eight years before revolution would transform his homeland - a young Iranian student named Mohsen Ghalamkar-Moazzam earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from UCLA. After graduation, he returned to Iran, where he devoted his life to raising a family, continuing research and teaching, and mentoring the next generation of Iranian chemists.

Mohsen's influence wound up extending much further. And for that, the story returns to Southern California.

Fifty years later, during the height of COVID-19, Azadeh Baniasad was working part time decorating cakes at Baskin-Robbins in Northridge, California. The dedicated middle-aged mother from Iran had recently arrived in the United States and was attending Pierce College as a mathematics major. Today, Azadeh is graduating from UCLA with a bachelor's degree in statistics and data science and a minor in mathematics.

"From a young age, I always loved math," she said. "For many years, life took me in different directions. After moving to the United States, I found the opportunity to rediscover that passion and pursue it academically."

It started at that job decorating cakes; She found herself thinking analytically - tracking which cakes and flavors sold the most and adjusting production accordingly. When her manager told her there was no sales data to improve her performance, she began informally analyzing patterns on her own. Although she didn't realize it at the time, she was already practicing a form of data science with those cakes.

"My mother always said, 'There is a solution for every problem,' and that's what I love about math," she said. "Doing math is a form of therapy for me. I find joy and satisfaction in solving problems that can help make sense of a world that can be so chaotic."

At Pierce College, Azadeh quickly distinguished herself in the classroom. In her second year, she was hired by the college as a math tutor, helping support herself while discovering a gift for teaching. "I loved the moment when a frustrated student would suddenly pause and say, 'Now I get it!'" she said. Explaining math, breaking down complicated ideas and making them feel approachable became one of the most meaningful parts of her education.

A professor at Pierce, Mitchell Pumar, was one of several who recognized her talent and encouraged her to transfer to UCLA - a dream possibility she had not yet pursued. "Even though UCLA always had a special place in my family's heart, I never imagined I could one day be a student here myself," she said.

But here she was.

"[My instructors'] belief in me helped me see possibilities that I had not seen in myself, and ultimately gave me the confidence to pursue transferring to UCLA."

At UCLA, Azadeh was drawn to statistics and data science for the impact she could see it has on the real world. She became fascinated by the realization that data could reveal patterns, guide decisions and improve lives. That interest deepened during a summer biostatistics internship at UC Irvine, where she worked on research involving tuberculosis and HIV treatment in Botswana.

After graduation, Azadeh hopes to build a career where she can use data science and statistics to better understand real-world problems and help organizations make more informed decisions. She is especially interested in applying quantitative thinking to meaningful social and community challenges, where data can be used to create a positive impact.

"As a statistics and data science student, I've learned that data becomes most meaningful when it is connected to real-world questions," she said. "My experiences have shown me how valuable it is to learn from different fields and perspectives. I believe one of the most important things young data science students can do is stay curious and open to the many ways their work can help people and society."

We often think of commencement as the time to say goodbye to our graduates; another year and another cohort leaves UCLA with the education and skills to make an impact on the outside world. But in this case, commencement feels a bit more like a homecoming.

Growing up in Iran, Azadeh shared a close bond with her uncle, Mohsen Ghalamkar-Moazzam - the same young chemist who had crossed the world decades earlier to study at UCLA. His death in 1991 left a lasting void in her heart, but his legacy continued to inspire her journey.

In honor of her graduation, we were able to locate Mohsen's original 1971 dissertation and share it with Azadeh before commencement. For the first time, she held in her hands the work her uncle had completed at UCLA more than five decades earlier.

"My uncle always spoke about the university with great pride, and UCLA became a symbol of possibility for our family," Azadeh said. "Walking across the commencement stage feels as though he is back on campus, walking with me today at commencement."