International perspectives
If there is one word to describe the Sobhani family, it would be “international.”
Parents Masoud and Nahid Sobhani grew up in Iran, met in Hawaii, and moved to Japan to raise their family. Having learned valuable lessons from traveling the world, they felt it was important to expose their children to different cultures. After becoming involved at UC Davis when their son BK ’13 became an Aggie, the Sobhani family, including BK, became convinced that supporting UC Davis could contribute greatly to the global community.
“We are very much interested in promoting the university abroad,” said Masoud, who is the first foreign president of the Rotary International in Takamatsu-south Club District 2670, in Japan and runs both a carpet manufacturing business and a California Olive Oil business that deals in olive oil, dried fruit and nuts from the northern and central valley. “By bridging the spirits and hearts and minds of different cultures, we are trying to establish Unity in diversity, where mankind is like a beautiful garden of diverse flowers, each with its own charm, beauty and shape.”
Driven by a desire to give more young people an international perspective, the Sobhanis decided to help support study abroad programs for UC Davis students. They made a $25,000 gift so other students can gain the international perspectives that Masoud, Nahid, and BK were fortunate enough to have.
They hope that exposing these students to different perspectives will inspire them to give back to less fortunate people around the world.
“We, as a family, give to UC Davis because of the education that it provided to BK, who is now a professional golfer on the Asian Development Tour and the Japanese Challenge Tour, and we want to help other students have an international education like the experience our son had” said Masoud. “By giving a gift to UC Davis, you are giving opportunities to students that would otherwise not have these opportunities. You are helping move toward world peace and uniting the world one heart at a time.”
