Who You Are Matters

I was born in Los Angeles, but my roots are much deeper than the eye can see. I'm the son of two Iranian immigrants that moved to the United States because of the Iranian revolution. Both sides of my family lived in Tehran for many years until they were left with no choice, other than to move to the United States. Their families ultimately settled here in Los Angeles, where they eventually met, got married, and had children. Coming from such a conservative middle eastern family, I've always been expected to do great things whether it be becoming a dentist, surgeon, or lawyer. Ultimately, I've opposed the typical Persian path and have decided to pursue a career in real estate development. In the next fifteen years, I plan to own my own development firm, building houses in West LA, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica. I'd also love to be happily married with my own family of two to three children. The reason I came to USC if for the amazing opportunities available through this institution. I'm currently working extremely hard and plan to continue working my tail off, fighting for internships and learning from current developers, in order to eventually have the knowledge and capital to begin developing homes on my own. As for the married part, I guess we'll have to see how I get there.
 My Dad's name is Dany and ever since I've been a child every elderly family member has called me, "Dany Koochooloo", which in Farsi means, "Mini Dany". Apparently, I've always looked like a clone of my Dad and after seeing recent pictures I can see why. Not only do I look like my father, but we both love cars and basketball. It's truly special that my father and I can bond over two of our passions together by going to car shows and NBA games. When it comes to my Mom, I'd like to say that we're both very emotional. If we care about something, our emotions always shine through, whether we're upset, angry, or happy our emotion is always evident. What distinguishes me from both my parents is that they're conservative and I am not. They believe in old traditions, while I tend to turn my head against these traditions and focus more on beliefs in today's society. I'd like to believe that I've set very high expectations for myself, I expect nothing less than excellence. In whatever I do, I always want to be the best and that shows through with my lofty career goals.  Like me, many teens, children, and young adults look up to LeBron James as a role model, but I think of him as much more than just an athlete, as he speaks what he believes, helps the community, and puts family first.
 Ever since I've been a young child, I've loved elephants because it seems as if they're misunderstood as giant, reckless beasts, but in reality, they're just soft and squishy on the inside with a big heart. Growing up I felt as if people misunderstood me in the same way as elephants, as a big, reckless beast. Two years ago, my uncle passed away from pancreatic cancer and since my family is Jewish, for the week following his passing we sat Shiva at his home. As we sat, prayed, and told stories we sat under his favorite orange tree. In these moments, the orange tree was more than just a tree, we could feel my uncle's presence there every second of every day. Till this day, when I visit his children at his home, I stop by the orange tree and can feel his presence there with me.
 According to alabe, my sun sign is Leo, my moon sign is Pisces, and my rising sign is Scorpio.