Pendar Pooyan

   I am fluent in English, Farsi, and Spanish. My parents are from Iran, and they immigrated to the USA in the late 90s due to the economic chaos and sociopolitical repression of the Islamist regime in Iran. ​

   My academic interests include Middle Eastern and Latin American politics, migration justice, and Iran-LATAM ties. For my hobbies, I am learning guitar (I am currently learning flamenco and Cuban guitar), and I love doing Latin dance like salsa, bachata, and cumbia. I am the proud owner of two tuxedo cats named Inky and Miskha. I love watching action movies, and I enjoy listening to music like trap, house, EDM, reggaetón, dembow, and Latin trap. ​

   The Hispanic Studies program at W&M has been a fruitful and emotionally rewarding experience. From exploring Andalusia, Spain as part of the Cádiz Faculty-Led Study Abroad Program with Professor Cate, to finishing my Hispanic Studies honors thesis with the help of my advisor Professor Pineda Burgos, the department has helped me hone my academic skills of research, reading comprehension, logic, and critical thinking. ​

   Thinking about my post-graduation plans, I look forward to taking a gap year to work on my applications to law school, using the skills I’ve learned in the Modern Languages and Literatures curriculum. I hope to use what I’ve accomplished as a Hispanic Studies major to demonstrate my capabilities as a prospective law student, while seeking to find real world job experiences in my time ahead of law school. After earning my J.D, I hope to work in fields like foreign policy and migration justice advocacy.