Dear AIC Community,

Unless you are a space geek like me, you might not be aware that the U.S. will experience a total solar eclipse next month -- the first one to occur over the continental U.S. in over 38 years!  If you are in its path (or traveling to see it), I wish you clear skies!

For me, a total solar eclipse elicits memories of my first trip to Iran in 1999 when I traveled there to view the last total solar eclipse of the millennium with a group organized by Search for Common Ground.  The group was comprised of distinguished astronomers, diplomats, and myself – a sixteen-year-old aspiring scientist.  At the time, I thought the trip would propel me to a career at NASA; instead, it led me here, to the American Iranian Council.  During that trip I fell in love with the country of Iran and its people; and now, as Director of Operations at AIC, I believe that my experience demonstrates how intercultural understanding obtained early in life can have an impact years later.