This issue explores the idea of journeys. Personally, this theme particularly resonates with me. My life turned when what was meant to be a simple geographical journey morphed into a profound transformation of personal identity—from Iranian to Iranian-American.

When I was a teenager in Iran, I was invited by a South African family to visit them over the summer. I applied for a visa at the British Embassy but was denied because I had checked the box for “White,” rather than “Honorary White”—South Africa was still governed by the harsh racial segregation policy, known as Apartheid, and “Honorary White” was the political term referencing people who would otherwise be treated as non-whites under the Population Registration Act. It was an early lesson in the complicated racial lines that are intermingled with geographic boundaries.

But it proved to be a fortuitous swerve. Instead of going to South Africa, my parents sent me to live with an American family in Denver, Colorado. Despite how far I traveled, I quickly came to feel at home. Not only were the people I met warm and welcoming, but the mountains surrounding Denver reminded me of Tehran. I even got to watch the moon landing on television with my American family! I loved the time I spent there.

It proved to be a more life-changing journey than I ever could have imagined. Because of how much I enjoyed Colorado, I ended up attending college in the U.S. While I was there, the Iranian Revolution occurred, which meant that my temporary sojourn became a permanent relocation. And I began a lifelong journey from Iranian to Iranian-American. It was a lesson not just about the inevitability of change but how that change often does not coincide with our own plans. I learned that one must embrace the journey itself. Indeed, the very essence of life lies in our journeys, not our final destinations.

So, the concept of a journey is a rich and powerful one for me. I suspect that many of you share this feeling.