The Persian Culture Club at Westmont High School is a unique space that offers students an opportunity to explore and celebrate the heritage of Persian culture. From teaching students about the music, food, traditions, and history to foster inclusivity, Persian Culture Club has made a meaningful impact on students at Westmont. To get a deeper understanding of the club’s mission of teaching students about Persian culture, I sat down with the Vice President, Ryan Haghshenas who was willing to share his journey within the club, how it came to be, what he plans to do with the club, and what the culture means to him.
When asked about the formation of the club Ryan explained “It was created this year, because we wanted a way to share or express Persian culture, I saw that there was other clubs at the school that talked about their culture and traditions which inspired me to create my own and because I think it’s good for people to have a place where they can go to talk to people within the same culture, or for other students to learn about a culture that’s not the same as theirs.”
Ryan emphasized that he started the club alongside his friend and President of the club, Ardin Behtaj who wanted to teach students at Westmont more about Persian traditions and customs. When asked about the club’s growth Ryan stated “We only had three meetings so far, and we had a good amount of members come.” Ryan added, “I think for our other meetings, our goal is to showcase more Persian food, music, and history of the culture, and we want to try to let people know that the club isn’t just for people of Persian culture, but for everyone to appreciate the traditions, and music, and stuff”
After discussing the formation and future goals or plans for the club, I interviewed Ryan about Persian culture and club activities.
- How does Persian history influence the culture today?
“Persian history is huge for us. Things like our music, art, and the traditions are still a big part of how we live today. We’re really proud of it, and I feel like it shows in everything we do.”
- How do you keep Persian traditions alive while living in a different country?
“We celebrate big events like Nowruz and keep our traditions alive when were at home and at school during the club meetings, it helps us as a way to stay…connected even when we live in the U.S”
- Can you share a memorable experience from a club event related to Persian culture?
“We’ve only had a few meetings so far… I liked when we played some Persian music during one of our meetings and asked people what they thought about it.”
- What are some Persian values that the club emphasizes in its activities?
“We focus on hospitality and respect and try to make people feel welcome even if they aren’t Persian, we also try to emphasize Persian traditions like how we treat guests and strangers within our culture”
- How does Persian culture view community and family
“Family is everything in Persian culture, we are very loyal to our families and we try to bring that to the club and try to give a sense of community when people come to our meetings.”
- Are there any specific cultural practices or rituals you find particularly unique
“I think Nowruz is unique, which is sort of like the Persian new years… I feel like it’s different from other cultures. In places where it’s celebrated there’s a bunch of street music and dancing and yeah, it’s really cool to see.”
- How can students who aren’t Persian benefit from learning about Persian culture
“It’s important to learn about different cultures because you can learn about different ways of life for other people in the world, its cool to learn about how they live, and how their music and clothes and traditions differ from people living here.”
- What do you think this school learn from Persian culture
“I don’t know…I think a lot of people in this school could learn to value hospitality and community more because…there’s like a bunch of fights that happen at westmont.”
- What are some significant Persian holidays and how does your club celebrate them?
“We haven’t had many meetings yet, so we haven’t really celebrated any holidays yet, but some significant holidays would be Nowruz, It would be cool to celebrate it by showing the traditions we use during Nowruz.”
The Persian culture club at Westmont offers way more than a look into Persian culture. It helps create a space for all students to connect and learn and understand the culture,.The new club continues to grow. If you want to stop by to learn more about another culture, you could stop by Room 2 on the first B day of every week during lunch, and follow their instagram @westmont_Persian_club for club reminders.