Throughout her son’s path from kindergarten to high school, Soheila Loghmanpour P’16 helped raise funds to support him and his classmates.
“My son was the product of a public high school, and parents donated to make the school exceptional so that all students would benefit,” she says.
In some ways, she thought her days as a parent donor were over when her son, Aram Zadeh ’16, was accepted at Harvard. “I was so grateful when he received financial aid,” she says, and readily admits that she didn’t think that Harvard needed the kind of support she could give.
“I thought of the endowment and some of Harvard’s big donors, and wondered what kind of impact I could have,” says Loghmanpour, a professional engineer and educator who lives in Encinitas, California.
“And then I realized I needed to be a donor to invest in my son’s education. The PTA funds extracurricular activities for high school students. It is a partnership between families and schools that benefits kids. Why should it be any different between parents and their child’s college?”
Her experience auditing her son’s classes inspired her further. During Zadeh’s freshman year, Loghmanpour requested permission to attend one or two of his classes. She thought it would be a good idea to see what a liberal arts class was all about, particularly as she had thought that her son should follow in her and her late husband’s footsteps—both were trained as engineers.
“My son is interested in the social sciences,” Loghmanpour says. “But I wasn’t sure what this would prepare him to do.”
After obtaining permission to attend classes from faculty, she traveled to Cambridge and found a seat in the back of a couple of her son’s classes. “These instructors welcomed me and, in fact, talked to me afterwards,” she recalled.
“I was beyond myself with excitement that I could share an actual classroom experience along with my son and his classmates.” She remembers auditing a CS50 class, Harvard’s popular introductory computer science class, and another exploring the rise of fascism in Europe. “I saw a level of engagement and an emphasis on critical thinking that I hadn’t received during my own education,” she says. “These classes are so thought provoking, and I realized he needs that kind of instruction to grow.”
She knew then that Harvard was the right place for her son and that she wanted to help support the College in any way she could. She is now a proud member of the 1636 Society, having contributed annually since her son’s first year at Harvard.
“In a sense, Harvard is educating me too,” says Loghmanpour. “I intend to give for many years to come.”