Vahid Norouzalibeik
Bio of Vahid Norouzalibeik
I was born in the land of 1001 Nights. I have long had a love for literature in English. Over the years, I have studied mythology, literary theory, criticism, history, poetry, prose, modernism, postmodernism, post-structuralism, etc. and I have had extensive correspondence with scholars and writers in America like Dr. Lisker.
Having earned my Master's degree in English Language and Literature in Tehran (top student), I always believed that a second Master's at an American University would provide me with a very different education, focus, approach and perspective.
With tremendous excitement, I am now experiencing listening to learned American Professors about American and English literature, as well as international literature in English. I am really thrilled to have been given the opportunity to be in an English speaking country and in an atmosphere where I can share my passions with other like-minded people.
I started going to English schools when I was 12. I got my TOEFL certificate in Tehran (Sep. 1996) and started teaching, translating, rating and editing English (materials) ever since. The same year, I was accepted at the university entrance exam and started my BA in English Literature. I did my Master's degree in English Language & Literature very seriously and, in each semester, I was announced as the top student at the whole university (GPA 4.0 among all the participants and attendants in literature, translation and teaching English). My defense session proved to be a well-accomplished one, earning me the highest mark for my dissertation (On the post-structuralist reading of Samuel Beckett).
As an eager researcher and a top student in college, I started to share my ideas and comments with scholars overseas and had extensive and, of course, productive correspondence with many of them, esp. with the American ones like yourself. I've also written stories in English all of which appealed to professors of English and Creative Writing in America, especially to one of them from Chapman University with whom I have been in touch since 1998. Yes, it is amazing to see how art and literature remove borders and bring people closer to one another.
Truly and as Albert Schweitzer says, "In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit."
I was granted a full scholarship for the first year of my studies at Chapman. This is happening for the first time in the history of this university that an international graduate student is given such a scholarship. I have passed 18 credits and my GPA is 4.0 (all A's).
I have assisted many professors inside and outside of Iran and contributed to composition of chapters in books, articles, essays. My website is: Vahid Norouzalibeik
Upon joining the aviation industry in 2006, I started taking part in diverse theoretical/practical courses (in Safety & Quality, Weight & Balance, SMS, Human Factors, IOSA & SAFA, Dangerous Goods Regulations, Aircraft Familiarization, CRM, etc., etc.). I was teaching all different grades of English to pilots and airmen, ground staff and cabin crew, and was also teaching productive panel discussion classes for years before I moved to the US.
Vahid in orbit