International student Sedigheh Fathollahzadeh Dizaji is among the participants at this year’s commencement ceremony who have traveled very far from home in pursuit of their academic dreams. Fathollahzadeh is from Tehran, the capital city of Iran.
An artist who specializes in acrylic portraits of people and faces that come from her imagination, she had already earned a master’s degree in painting when she arrived in the United States in 2021. She is graduating from Illinois State University’s Wonsook Kim School of Art with another master’s degree—this one in art teacher education.
Before her arrival, Fathollahzadeh, 37, had extensive experience as an art teacher at the middle school, high school, and university levels and worked out of her own studio in Tehran. She also had exhibited her artwork at galleries in Iran, Turkey, and Italy. She was able to put those experiences to use as a core member of the University Galleries education team during her time in Normal. It was her comfort zone.
She’s called her time at University Galleries an “amazing experience.” She felt a feeling of camaraderie there with Director and Chief Curator Kendra Paitz and staff members Lisa Lofgren, Tanya Scott, and Troy Sherman.
“We did lots of art workshops,” Fathollahzadeh said. “It was fun, and I learned a lot about community art.”
“It’s always amazing to learn new things. And every day, living here, I have learned new things.”
Sedigheh Fathollahzadeh Dizaji
Coming to the U.S. to study required finding a place to live, which she accomplished via Facebook. But she first had to pass her English proficiency exams, which she also managed.
“Speaking English can still be challenging when you get here,” she said. “It’s hard to have the confidence to speak, but I eventually was able to communicate with people better.”
She chose Illinois State based on its reputation with some of her friends back home who had been here and were impressed by the facilities and the faculty’s expertise at training students to become art educators. She had other options but found it to be more affordable here. The biggest challenge has been being so far from her family. Sometimes she feels like a brave person but not always.
“It’s very hard to be alone here,” she said.
A trip home last summer for two and half months helped. To get there, she flew 11 hours from Chicago to Istanbul and then over three hours from Istanbul to Tehran.
In addition to English, she speaks three native languages: Turkish, Persian, and Azari. She has found comfort meeting people from home living here in Bloomington-Normal. That’s allowed her to have brief glimpses of her culture by sharing a meal and hearing the languages of her homeland spoken.
“We have a small Iranian community of about 20 who live here, including some students,” she said. “I’m so busy I can only see them once a week or so. That’s been so helpful, especially when I first came here.”
The second of four children—three girls and a boy—she learned the importance of education at home.
“My parents care a lot about education and encouraged us,” she said. “My father especially believes that the women in our family should get more education.”
Even with that support, leaving her parents was very difficult.
“Both my parents were so sad when I left,” she said. “I asked them not to come to the airport because it would be hard for them to forget that moment.”
She has felt great support from her Illinois State academic community. That support went beyond just faculty, especially while working on her thesis about art education as a tool for feminist resistance.
“It was great to do research on that, specifically how art education can play a role in countries where freedoms are shrinking,” she said. “But it was hard to do research on my country, so I interviewed four women female artists and female educators who had studied and taught in Iran and the U.S. and now live here in the U.S.
“It was very interesting to hear from them how art education has played a role in feminist resistance.”
She said everyone she encountered was very helpful with her thesis, from her advisors and the librarians who spent time helping her find sources to her thesis committee members. She received helpful feedback, which led to one of her greatest accomplishments—a successful oral defense.
“My oral defense was April 17, and I was so nervous,” she said. “It was really hard, but I’m happy that I did it.”
When she’s not busy with school, Fathollahzadeh enjoys painting, of course, and sculpture, drawing, yoga, and movies from Hollywood and from home. She also enjoys spending time with her “amazing” American friends.
Next up, she’s headed to Purdue University to pursue a Ph.D. in special education with an art background for the next several years.
“I also want to continue my art and my painting, which I’ve done for 20-plus years,” she said. “Then, I’m not sure if I’ll stay here or go home. I like it here, but I miss my family and friends, nature, and the culture.”
One of Fathollahzadeh’s favorite things is the challenge of learning something new. That has been no problem these last couple of years at Illinois State.
“It’s always amazing to learn new things,” she said. “And every day, living here, I have learned new things.”
This story is one of a series of profiles on Redbirds who are celebrating graduation this May. For more information about how Illinois State is celebrating commencement this semester, visit the Graduation Services website.
