March 16, 2009

Cast member from MTV’s “Real World: Sydney” to speak at Morningside College

Parisa Montazaran, a cast member from MTV’s “Real World: Sydney,” will speak at Morningside College at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, in the Yockey Family Community Room of the Olsen Student Center, 3609 Peters Ave.

The public is invited to this free event, which is sponsored by Morningside’s Academic and Cultural Arts Series (ACAS) and the Morningside College Activities Council (MAC).

Montazaran will discuss perceptions of Islam in America that have been influenced by the media. She also will talk about some of her own experiences as an Iranian American.

Montazaran graduated from New York University in December 2006, majoring in international relations, Middle Eastern studies and economics. She met casting directors during her junior year at New York University. Then it was not long after graduating that she headed to Australia to do “Real World: Sydney,” which aired in late 2007.

She plans to pursue post-graduate studies in international law, focusing on human rights and cross-cultural exchange between the United States and the Middle East.