Connecting Family Roots, Cultivating Friendships

Connecting Family Roots, Cultivating Friendships

In mid-March, Persian communities around the world gathered to commemorate Nowruz, a two-week jubilee in recognition of the Persian New Year. This year’s Nowruz was especially meaningful for Kate Meinert, Delta Tau–Chapman University, who honored the occasion with her mother and grandmother as part of the institution’s Iranian Culture Club.

Kate currently serves as both Delta Tau Chapter President and the Iranian Culture Club’s Vice President of Events. Through these roles supporting university women and promoting cultural understanding among Chapman’s student body, Kate is exploring her own cultural identity as an Iranian woman.

“Being a part of the Iranian Culture Club has helped me to learn more about myself, and also made me more open and committed to making sure everyone else has the same opportunity,” Kate said. “I want to make sure others have the chance to share their story and feel understood.”

The Iranian Culture Club was first formed as an unofficial student organization during the 2020-21 academic year, when Kate was a freshman. At the time, Chapman University — like many other institutes of higher education across the country — were forced into fully remote learning environments by the global health pandemic. The Iranian Culture Club provided Kate with a means to cultivate friendships while connecting with her roots. Kate sought to become more fully immersed in her Iranian heritage since the passing of her grandfather four years ago. This journey of self-discovery is what led her to pursue a dual major in history and religious studies and to join the Iranian Culture Club when encouraged by one of her Alpha Gam sisters.

“Being a part of the club, learning about the people, the food, has made me feel closer to him,” she said. Kate’s grandfather immigrated to the United States from Iran in 1979, when Kate’s mother was 10 years old. Both experienced overt racism and discrimination as they tried to navigate life in a new country. Among many challenges, Kate’s grandfather was forced to change his name in order to get a job. Kate’s commitment to fostering cultural acceptance are born from their struggles.

“I am thankful that in my day-to-day life I haven’t experienced the hardships that

my family faced in coming to America. I am also thankful that I have been able to experience the Persian culture and just how open and genuine the Iranian people are,” Kate said. “Through this club, I am trying to do my part to spread that awareness and stop the stigma associated with the Middle East and with Iran in particular.”

Kate sees her role as president of the Delta Tau Chapter as a platform to model cultural acceptance and champion equity and inclusion. The love and support Kate has felt from her Delta Tau sisters moves her toward this important work.

“In middle school and high school, I had a hard time making friends. During recruitment, all the Alpha Gam women I spoke to were so genuine; I didn’t feel I needed to be a different version of myself. I could be totally authentic.”

As President, Kate wants to continue to make Alpha Gam a safe place where all feel like they belong. She does this by inviting her sisters to take part in events like the Nowruz celebration and by providing opportunity for open dialogue and for learning about members’ cultures and identities at chapter meetings and sisterhood events. In a recent, powerful display of support, the Delta Tau chapter rallied behind calls to action to support the #WomanLifeFreedom movement, following the death of Mahsa Amini that thrust the inequality in Iran — particularly inequality for women — into the public eye.

In the year ahead, Kate plans to use her leadership roles to keep up that momentum. “It’s been powerful to see the community [the local Iranian and Chapman community] rally together,” Kate said.

“While talk about the revolution in Iran may be dying down in the United States, it’s still very much a part of what’s going in in Iran. It’s important to me to keep that conversation going.”