Shervin Sabeti March 2023

Shervin Sabeti came to Maine with his family after escaping from Iran, where they were members of the minority Baha’i faith. Arriving in Portland was pleasant surprise: “It felt like home to me, because my religion is my community. I had my community here as a Baha’i.”

In addition to being grateful for having been able to attend college at the University of Southern Maine (“it was a big deal”), he loves Maine’s natural beauty. “There are so many hiking spots here! The ocean here is amazing, I go to the ocean once a week, the Eastern Prom, Bar Harbor is amazing. I love the summer here, it’s wonderful. I always reach out to my friends to go for nature walks, which leads to deeper and meaningful conversations. Nature definitely helps us build this stronger community with each other.” In his work as a database engineer for the Office of Maine Refugee Services, he’s also glad he can put his love of data and technology to work helping his community grow here in Maine.