American Wings Iranian Roots Interview
Podcast Interview: Suzzane Harris interviews author of American Wings Iranian Roots, Kristin Orloff
American Wings Iranian Roots
When he arrived in the United States in 1983, Reza Abedi had $300 in his pocket, a few words of English and a strong desire to experience life outside Iran.
Iranian Champion Wrestler & Defector Reza Abedi Tells His Story
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Reza Abedi is a World Champion Wrestler and Hall of Fame coach who lived in Iran through the 1979 revolution and the Iran-Iraq war...
One American Discovers Iran By Way Of A Baseball Field
My journey into all things Iranian began sitting next to Reza Abedi at a Little League game in 2004. Reza and I taught at the same high school and since our sons played together...
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Wrestlers became the first athletes to defect from the Islamic Republic. Reza Abedi, 48, is a Spanish teacher and wrestling coach at Dana Hills High in Dana Point, a town in Orange County, California...
Reza Abedi’s Greatest Escape
It’s easy to lose Reza Abedi as he wanders among the students at Dana Hills High School: He’s only 5 feet, 5 inches tall. His raspy voice stands out, though—a thick Iranian accent lingering even though he has lived in California for almost 26 years.
It’s early April, and inside Abedi’s classroom, each of the 36 desks is occupied. In the back of the room, one girl sits on the floor, leaning against a wall. Another walks around barefoot, while classmates around her try to construct cubes using a sheet of white paper. Each panel of the cube will have a Spanish subject pronoun.
Abedi approaches the girl sitting on the floor; she’s clearly not working on the project.
“Are you spending your time wisely?” he asks, smiling.