A task force of students. A series for everyone.
Influential Iranians is organized by students of the Persian Student Association at Stanford. It is non-political, free, and open to anyone who wants to be in the room.
The people we read about were in the room next door.
Iranians have founded some of the most consequential companies in Silicon Valley, run laboratories and hospitals, written the books and made the films that shaped how the world sees Iran. Many of them live within an hour of this campus. Most Stanford students have never been in a room with one of them.
In autumn 2026 a group of students on the Persian Student Association board decided to change that. The idea is deliberately simple: one guest a quarter, a real conversation instead of a keynote, and tea afterwards so the conversation keeps going. Around that evening we are building the thing Stanford’s Iranians have never quite had: one place to find each other.
We chose the name because it is a promise we intend to keep, to the guests and to the students. Influence, in every form it takes: founders and investors, scientists and engineers, artists and writers, physicians and public servants.
Four commitments
Non-political
In the guest list, on the stage and in the room. This is the Persian Student Association’s charter and it is ours.
Open to everyone
Persian speaker or not, Iranian or not. Students get first claim on seats; the rest go to the wider community.
Student-run
Students choose the guests, write the questions, moderate the evening and pour the tea.
Candid
No pitches, no press lines. We ask about the decision that almost went wrong, and we leave time to answer.
Who runs it
The task force is a working group of the Persian Student Association’s 2026–27 board and the students who have joined it since. Roles rotate each quarter: outreach and invitations, moderation, logistics, design and communications, and the tea table.
Members and their roles will be listed here once the first season’s team is confirmed. If you would like to be one of them, join the task force.
Contact: Omid Izadi, Communications Lead, Persian Student Association · psa-admin@lists.stanford.edu
The gateway
Our mark is a tall Persian arch with two gold letters standing in its piers: I and I, for Influential Iranians.
The arch is a gate, the oldest Iranian way of saying welcome, from the Gate of All Nations at Persepolis to the great vault at Ctesiphon. The two letters are the people who walk through it: the guest, and the student who comes next.
Press kit
For posters, co-hosted events and press. Please do not recolor, stretch or add effects to the mark.
- Horizontal logo (SVG)
- Horizontal, for dark backgrounds (SVG)
- Stacked logo (SVG)
- Stacked, bilingual (SVG)
- Mark only (SVG)
- Social avatar (PNG)
Colours: green #124C43, gold #C99A2E, red #C8102E, cream #F6F1E8. Typefaces: Newsreader, Inter and Vazirmatn.
Things people ask us
Is this political?
No. The Persian Student Association is non-political by charter, and so is this series: in who we invite, what we ask, and what happens in the room. Guests are asked not to make political statements from the stage, and we hold ourselves to the same rule.
Do I have to be Iranian, or speak Persian?
Neither. Every conversation is in English and open to anyone at Stanford or in the wider community. The tea is for everyone too.
How much does it cost?
Nothing. Conversations are free. When a room is smaller than the interest, students are seated first and remaining seats are released to the public.
Are the talks recorded?
Only with the guest’s written consent. If they agree, we publish a short clip, never the whole conversation. Photographs of the room are taken at every event; tell a volunteer if you prefer not to appear.
How are guests chosen, and can I suggest one?
Please do. Nominations come from students, faculty, alumni and the community. We look for people who changed something real in their field and have a story students can use, across as many fields as possible. Nominate a guest.
Can my company or organization sponsor an evening?
Sponsors are thanked, never promoted: no pitches from the stage and no selling in the room, in line with Stanford’s rules for student organizations. If you would like to cover the tea, a venue or travel, write to us.
Is this an official Stanford program?
No. Influential Iranians is a student initiative of the Persian Student Association, a registered voluntary student organization at Stanford University. Guests are hosted by students, not by the University.