Personal Mention
Carnegie Mellon President Farnam Jahanian was the keynote speaker at the 2022 Harvard Iranian Gala last Sunday, September 18. The event, hosted annually by the students of the Harvard College Iranian Association (HCIA), aims to bridge the gap between Iranian and non-Iranian students in the Harvard community by promoting cross-cultural understanding and fostering appreciation of Iranian culture, history and society. The HCIA’s flagship initiative, the Iranian Gala @Harvard is a forum to honor the achievements of diverse members of the Iranian community, connect current and future leaders and engender a greater appreciation of Persian culture and heritage. In his remarks, President Jahanian shared the way his upbringing in Iran and the influence of Persian culture shaped his approach to life, learning and the pursuit of knowledge through education. As he concluded his remarks, he expressed gratitude for the Iranian and Iranian-American community and noted that "reflecting back on my life gave me the space to appreciate and celebrate the ways that my Iranian heritage has shaped my leadership and my values."
CMU Trustee Cynthia Friedman has been appointed by President Biden to the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts. Established in 1958 by President Eisenhower, the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts (PACA) has played a valuable role in sustaining the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Cultural Center. Members of the committee are civic and cultural leaders who are selected by the President of the United States to serve as representatives in their own communities for the Kennedy Center. The center considers PACA appointees to be “ambassadors for the arts.” The committee serves as a national forum, giving its members the opportunity to share with the Kennedy Center their views on the center’s artistic programming. Friedman is a private investor and lifelong advocate for educational programs, political engagement and access to the arts. In addition to being a trustee, she serves on the College of Fine Arts’ Advisory Council. For the past 20 years, CMU's Friedman Fellows Internship Program has provided students with scholarships to intern and study government policy in Washington, D.C. Friedman sits on the board of the Chamber Music Society and is a longtime member of The Society of the Four Arts. She also serves on the American Friends of the Louvre Board of Trustees and on the Advisory Council of New York City’s Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. In 1999, she was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. Learn more about the President's Advisory Committee on the Arts.
Ethan Vertal, a junior forward on the men’s soccer team, was named the University Athletic Association Men’s Soccer Athlete of the Week. Vertal continued his scoring prowess with a pair of goals in a 3-0 win over Washington & Jefferson College last week. It was the third time in four games that Vertal scored two goals in a contest. He has six goals for the 6-0, 18th ranked Tartans heading into this week’s play. In his career, Vertal has scored 10 goals with one assist. The Tartans will host Juniata next Wednesday, September 28. Vertal is majoring in statistics and machine learning.