Life > December 6, 2003

Senior Students of the Year

By now most students have heard of senior Rosita Najmi. A co-founder of Project Bokonon, a Top Ten Glamour woman of the year and all-around excellent student, Najmi’s name is often synonymous with hard work and dedication.

Though she’s known for those reasons, there’s a lot more that most people don’t know.

Born in India to Iranian Baha’i parents, Najmi’s faith has been an integral part of her life since birth. While her family escaped Iran shortly after the 1979 revolution, Najmi longs to travel to the home she’s never seen.

“My knowledge of what life would’ve been like for a woman and a Baha’i is one of the things that drives me and makes me want to take advantage of everything I can,” she said. “If I were in Iran I wouldn’t have been able to do anything I have here.”

For now, Najmi applies her faith to all areas of her life. She and a few other students started a weekly Baha’i devotion on Friday mornings and she’s working to make sure all religions and faiths are included on campus.

And while her religious dedication spurs her to make life better for those around her, her inquisitiveness and enthusiasm encourage others to do the same. Perhaps her most promising attribute is her ability to inspire others.

Always willing to listen and take the time to give a reasoned response, Najmi puts her faith in others—and few can ignore that trust.

Though she holds no official leadership role on campus, professors, administrators and student leaders frequently ask her for advice and her opinion.

With her sights set on working for the World Bank or pursuing a Baha’i year of service after graduation, Najmi shows every indication that she will continue to inspire others.

“It would give me an opportunity to apply what I’ve learned in economics and what I’ve practiced—in the real world. I need to become a part of it to decide if that’s right for me,” she said.

In her brief four years here, Najmi has secured herself a lasting impression in the minds of those she’s met and on the university.

—Elizabeth Bland