Vahid Norouzalibeik has been a friend of mine for approximately a decade. He has asked me if I would write a letter of recommendation for him. While he was studying for a Master’s Degree in English Language and Literature at the University of Teheran he contacted me and asked me to help him as a mentor. In that capacity I was able to help him in several ways, sharing my knowledge and experience, principally in the domain of theatre, sending him videos and other materials, and supplying him with a letter of recommendation. We had many fruitful discussions, via E-Mail, about Chekhov, Garcia-Lorca, Ibsen and Samuel Beckett. His dissertation, in fact, was entitled “On a post-structuralist reading of Samuel Beckett”.
Vahid is remarkable in the degree to which he shows initiative, far beyond what one is accustomed to expect from students nowadays. In addition to myself, he has sought out several other scholars, writers and critics to assist him in his academic career. In addition to this, knowing that a degree in the humanities is not usually sufficient for getting a decent job, he has worked with the Aviation industry, teaching English to pilots and airmen, and taking courses in many areas such as Safety & Quality, Aircraft Familiarization, and so forth.
With his characteristic initiative and energy, Vahid was able to come to the US to obtain a Master's degree at Chapman University in the Los Angeles area. Later he was able to get his wife out of Iran and bring her to California. They now intend to remain in the US permanently, and are actively acquiring the necessary documentation and references to qualify as an immigrant.
Vahid Norouzalibeik has my enthusiastic endorsement.