Student Spotlight: Farhan Kathawala

Farhan Kathawala graduated on June 18 with a B.A. in Computer Science and a minor in Global Studies with a focus on Islamic studies.

He chose to study these two subjects because he loved the creativity of being able to create his own software, and wanted to combine the resources of Stanford and his own cultural and religious knowledge to make things about the Islamic World more known and accessible to others.

A few of Farhan’s favorite courses include Islam, Iran and the West (POLISCI149S) with Abbas Milani – “I may never meet a more learned person in my life!” he said, or Poems, Poetry, and Worlds (COMPLIT121) with Vincent Barletta.

For his Islamic studies capstone project, Farhan translated three never-before-translated Hindi short stories into English and delved into the portrayals of Muslims and Muslim societies in these works.

After graduation, Farhan will be working for himself. When asked what he’s most proud of, he responded: “That I gained principles and direction while here and became able to see the world with more gravity and understanding than I could when I started.”

Reflecting on how the Global Studies Minor shaped his understanding, Farhan said “It has helped me understand the world by reiterating over and over the humanity of the people we study and the differences upon differences within all of them. None of this study is possible without an understanding of the competing forces at play, among groups of humans but also within the human being his/herself; that's a lesson that is priceless.

Congratulations Farhan and best of luck!

Please join us in congratulating the class of 2017! As the academic year draws to a close, we are highlighting students graduating from across our 15 programs. Click here to view more student spotlights.