From Persia to the Prairies for USSU president

But he wasn’t prepared for the challenges that climate, culture, and conversations would bring. Seven years later, Safaeian has not only survived but thrived, teaching himself to speak English and excelling in his studies and now taking on a leadership role in the student body at the University of Saskatchewan (USask). In the spring, Safaeian was elected president of the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union (USSU).

When I arrived, I was just trying to learn the language and find my footing,” said Safaeian, looking back to his early days in Saskatoon. “If you had told that kid he would one day be president of the students’ union, he wouldn’t have believed you. That’s part of what makes this so meaningful to me.”

With determination and dedication — and the help of a dictionary/translation app — Safaeian learned the language and adjusted to the colder climate as he settled into school and garnered the grades necessary to enrol in university where he has flourished.

“When I started high school here, I didn’t speak a word of English, and it was isolating and I couldn’t make friends at first,” he said. “So I taught myself, reading every single day, pushing through little by little. It was slow and hard, but that determination is something I carry with me in everything I do now. And then there was the climate, walking to the bus in minus forty was a shock that I’ll never forget. But each of those challenges taught me resilience.”

Today, Safaeian is a top student studying neuroscience, and the student leader of a multicultural campus community featuring individuals from 130 different countries, including his former home of Iran.

“I’m from one of those 130 countries myself,” he said. “There’s something special about being surrounded by so many cultures, so many perspectives, so many different foods. It makes this campus feel alive, and it reminds me that everyone here has their own story.”

Safaeian’s story is a success story of emigrating to Canada, starting a new life, and becoming a leader on campus. Along with his brother Ario – who celebrated his Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Biomedical Neuroscience at USask Spring Convocation on June 2 before embarking on medical school this fall – the Safaeians now feel at home on campus, and in the community, the city, and the country.

“What I love most is that this is where my family rebuilt our life together,” said Abtin Safaeian. “My brother is now in medical school here, and this city went from being a completely foreign place to feeling like home. USask gave us that … I’m endlessly grateful, to my family, to this university, and to the students who trusted me with this role. I came here with almost nothing, and this community gave me a future. Now, I get to spend this year giving back to it, and there’s no greater honour than that.”

While he is busy in his new life here, Safaeian has followed from afar the ongoing conflict that has affected family and friends back in Iran.

“It’s deeply sad,” he said. “I have family back home who are frightened, and friends struggling badly with the weight of it. I’ve even known people who lost their lives. It affects so many of us here more personally than people realize. Mostly, my heart goes out to everyone touched by it.”

On campus, Safaeian is determined to serve as the voice of the multicultural undergraduate student body of 22,000 as head of the USSU, and to work to enhance support programs after experiencing the same pressures that many USask students deal with.

“The biggest reason is that I’ve lived through the challenges most students face, whether that’s financial pressure or academic stress. I’ve been there myself,” said Safaeian, who previously served as vice-president of marketing of the USask Entrepreneur Club and president of the USask Table Tennis Club, after taking part in a variety of student clubs and volunteer initiatives in high school. “I realized I didn’t just want to sympathize from the sidelines, I wanted to be the person who could actually make a difference for students going through the same things … Affordability is the biggest focus for me and my vice-presidents this year, because when students can afford to be here, feel supported in their learning, and stay well, everything else follows.

His life experiences in his new home have also made Safaeian more determined than ever to give back to society, helping those in need through medical research and development.

“I’m about two years from graduating in neuroscience,” he said. “After that, I hope to earn an MBA (Master of Business Administration) and eventually build a company developing brain-computer technology, to help people living with paralysis. That’s the dream I’m working toward.”