Alum Aida Dargahi Shines Light on Women of Iran

THE OAK LEAF (SANTA ROSA JUNIOR COLLEGE) -- They are doctors, musicians, firefighters and even journalists. Despite the stereotypes Iranian women may face, they are no different from American women. That was a key message Aida Dargahi conveyed to Santa Rosa Junior College students and instructors in her lecture “Women of Iran” September 28 in Newman Auditorium. Dargahi is a professor at Argosy University in Alameda. She is also an active Iranian filmmaker and professional photographer. She made the 1991 documentary “Arai,” which is based on the Khazak women of Iran. The documentary won Kazakhstan’s National Film Award and Iran’s 1993 Women’s Film Festival Award. Dargahi has her Master’s degree in Humanities from San Francisco State University and travels to Iran once or twice a year to document the lives of women through print and film.