Having moved to Calgary from Iran this past summer to pursue his education, Farzin Momeni Rod says his journey so far has been “totally perfect” due to meeting friendly colleagues, getting to explore parks like Banff, and experiencing a high quality of life. However, he says one of his biggest challenges has been facing discrimination in his search for a job.
Based on advice from others, Momeni Rod knew he’d have to adjust to colder temperatures. What he didn’t expect was to be turned down for engineering jobs, especially after hearing that Calgary has many opportunities for newcomers to find work in their existing fields.
While applying for less specialized positions, Momeni Rod said he’s been dealing with discrimination here.
“It could be because of my appearance,” said Momeni Rod. “It could be because of my country of origin, or it could be because I’m in school full time.”
Using his voice
Despite this challenge, Momeni Rod continues to persevere in his education at the University of Calgary and use his voice to shine a light on the current state of his home country.
“I was this representative of my country’s problem in a protest we had and it was the hardest for people to even believe what I was talking about,” he said.
We talked to Farzin Momeni Rod about his life and experiences and you can watch it here:
Each year, thousands of people from around the world move to Calgary to make a new life. Our partnership with CLIP explores what it means to be a newcomer in our city and how that experience is different for everyone.
You can see all the video profiles here.
