The Power of Connections

In 2017, Shanaz co-founded ZenBusiness, an online platform to help small startups grow, prosper and thrive, and now serves as its COO. In addition to this demanding role, she also provides mentorship to entrepreneurs through Capital Factory and currently volunteers on the board of the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce.

"Austin is a hub for technology," says Shanaz. "In addition to a great university, there are lots of entrepreneurs here and that also makes me feel right at home. I enjoy being part of what UT and Austin are all about."

She has now reached a point in her life when looking back means seeing the opportunities she had - and looking forward means doing her best to create the same opportunities for others.

"When I've visited Iran," she says, "I have noticed so much talent but no opportunities. Kids there are so hungry for education."

The Shanaz Hemmati and Robert Abbassi Graduate Fellowship will help such students navigate the many obstacles to education abroad. It's a permanent endowment to support international graduate students pursuing degrees in the Cockrell School of Engineering.

The first recipient of the scholarship was Atefeh Esfandiari, a Ph.D. candidate in environmental engineering. During their meeting, Shanaz discovered that Atefeh came from the same city where her parents had grown up, nearly 7,700 miles away from the place she now calls home. The connection between the two made the world feel a little smaller, and its heart a lot larger.

"If I can help someone be able to go through the journey, then I feel like I've paid part of my dues," says Shanaz.