Entrepreneur and philanthropist Sharon S. Nazarian is president of the Y&S Nazarian Family Foundation and an adjunct professor of political science at UCLA. Before participating in a panel on what will happen to Tehrangeles after a Persian Spring, she theorized in the Zócalo green room about why she has awful handwriting, living life to the fullest, and having the audacity, as a kid, to question the adults around her.
Q. It’s your last meal; what do you choose to eat?
A. Being a real Persian in my heart and soul, I think it would be a Persian dish called Ghorme Sabzi, which is a stew made with herbs: coriander, mint–lots of different herbs–and beans in it, and served over white rice. That’s my favorite dish.
Q. Was that what was made for you as a child?
A. Yes, and what I make for my children.
Q. How did you get into trouble as a kid?
A. I have to say I was a very good kid. I was a rule follower and more than that, probably a pleaser most of the time. Maybe my curiosity got me in trouble more than anything. I would go up to adults and ask them things that were maybe not appropriate in Persian culture. Children were supposed to be seen and not heard, and I had the audacity to ask questions and delve into the adult world.
Q. Where do you go to be alone?
A. Probably Franklin Canyon. It’s a beautiful forest right up by Beverly Hills, and there’s a lake. I love to take walks so that’s probably my favorite spot.
Q. What’s on your nightstand right now?
A. It’s two books by a Pakistani author whose name is going to escape me, I have a horrible memory. But one was about the death of [Muhammad] Zia-ul-Haq, the president of Pakistan. It’s fiction, but it talks about the real issues facing Pakistan, both political and religious.
Q. What’s your favorite saying, or even cliché?
A. “Live with passion.” I have children, and I have always taught them, whatever you do, do all the way, and really have passion in what you do. That’s really my life’s motto. I believe that you shouldn’t do anything halfway. Once your heart is in it, when you feel it deeply, then there is no way not to succeed at it.
Q. What do you do when you’re stuck in traffic?
A. I listen to music, I love all kinds of music. I love Israeli music, Persian music, rock and roll. Music really soothes me and helps me get past my aggravation of trying to get across the 405.
Q. Where would we find you at 10:00 on a typical Saturday morning?
A. Probably at Sullivan Canyon, where there’s an equestrian center. My middle daughter is a horseback rider, and we both have a love for horses, we’re both riders.
Q. Do you have good handwriting?
A. Horrible. I always say that I am a doctor, and that’s my excuse but of course, I’m a Ph.D., so it’s not a real excuse, but it’s really illegible, and it’s a source of embarrassment. Especially as an Iranian, because in Iran we had handwriting classes that were mandatory courses, and it somehow didn’t work. And I think changing languages hurts. When you’re raised with one language and switch to another it affects it. I think my handwriting in Farsi is a bit better, but in English it’s illegible.
*Photo by Aaron Salcido.