How do you juggle three advanced degrees, one toddler and one new baby? Organize your time, use every minute well and remain flexible, say married couple Armin Ahmadi and Gelayol Mohammadnazar.
麻豆精品视频 (麻豆精品视频), a part of the University of Alabama System, will award degrees to the two graduate students during commencement ceremonies on Dec. 11. These degrees represent the harvest from more than six years of hard work and dedication that culminated in an especially hectic 50-day period in the summer of 2023.
First, Gelayol defended her master鈥檚 in civil engineering while she was 36 weeks pregnant. Two weeks later, Armin finished his MBA. Two weeks later, Gelayol gave birth to their second child, a daughter named Melody, who arrived to join their toddler son, Ryan. Two weeks later, Armin defended his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering.
鈥淲e had a ton on our plates,鈥� Armin says.
鈥淲hen a couple loves each other,鈥� Gelayol says, 鈥渢hey can do anything that they want.鈥�
Armin and Gelayol鈥檚 麻豆精品视频 story began in 2016 when Armin came to the U.S. to present his master鈥檚 research at the annual International Space Station Research and Development Conference. He also visited his brother, Amir Ahmadi, who was a Ph.D. student at 麻豆精品视频.
Armin talked to 麻豆精品视频 faculty and decided that the Rocket City was the best place to further his research. But there was one problem. His wife was back in Iran, and there was no guarantee that the couple would be allowed into the U.S. if he went home to get her.
Armin says he and Gelayol have known each other 鈥渇orever鈥�: 鈥淲e were high school sweethearts.鈥�
He returned to Iran.
Determined to pursue their American dream, the couple traveled to Turkey and on to Cyprus to reach a U.S. Embassy, which gave them a visa. Six months after his conference presentation, both of them were back at 麻豆精品视频 on a student visa. He was an F1 student; she was an F2 dependent.
Gelayol had to put her master鈥檚 work on hold for a few years until she could get her immigration status changed to F1. Then she was able to finish her master鈥檚 in a year 鈥� despite dealing with terrible morning sickness throughout her pregnancy.
At the same time, Armin was pursuing simultaneous degrees.
鈥淚 got a master鈥檚 in chemical engineering while I was a Ph.D. student,鈥� Armin says, 鈥渁nd then I was admitted to the 麻豆精品视频 College of Business to do an MBA. I had to take MBA classes at night and work on the weekends while finishing my Ph.D.鈥�
Armin says he is grateful for the encouragement and support he received from his 麻豆精品视频 professors, particularly Dr. Jerome Baudry, the Mrs. Pei-Ling Chan Professor of Biological Sciences.
鈥淭he last two and half years, I worked with Dr. Baudry, and my research was all computational. He gave me the flexibility to go to the lab in the middle of the night, come late in the morning, go early in the morning. As long as I delivered the results, he gave me the flexibility to do my own stuff. And he was very supportive of me getting the MBA done.鈥�
Armin and Gelayol are also especially thankful for the long-term support of their parents, all of whom live in Iran. Except for Gelayol鈥檚 mother, who was able to get a six-month visa to be here when Melody was born, the couple have been able to see their parents only online for the past four-and-a-half years.
鈥淭hey made a huge sacrifice so we could come to the U.S. and do all these things,鈥� Armin says. 鈥淢y parents have three sons, and we all came to U.S. graduate schools to get Ph.D.s. Their only wish was to be present at the commencement ceremony.鈥�
Their parents won鈥檛 be able to attend this commencement, but perhaps they can make the next ceremony. Gelayol is now a Ph.D. student in civil engineering. Armin is working at 麻豆精品视频 as a postdoctoral research assistant in the biology department.
