The accomplishment that defines who I am in life happened when I was 11 years old - winning a watermelon eating contest for children 13 years and below. The prize was a brand new BMX mountain bike. To understand why, you need to know where I come from. I grew up in a very modest household as one of four children. My parents immigrated from Iran in the 1980s after the Iraq War destroyed the country. My parents made sacrifices so that their children could get an education in the US. In the early 90s, I used to go with my father to work at a clothing factory in Vernon, California. Other days, I went to the hair salon with my mother, who would work for $10 per day. My mother saved that $10 dollar salary every day so that my older brother and I could take SAT prep courses. The greatest gift my parents gave me was the hunger to succeed. Although I always wanted a mountain bike, my parents couldn’t afford those kinds of luxuries. The watermelon eating contest was three rounds and I was the scrawniest contestant. There were kids two years older than me and at least 25 pounds heavier. I was a longshot. My dad told me, “outsmart the other kids, be methodical, don’t just bite.” I woke up early in the morning, jogged two miles to build my appetite and cut water at home for practice to figure out the best way to speed eat. My gameplay was simple, let the other contestants exhaust themselves trying to bite, while I scooped the watermelon with my teeth and ingested with minimal chewing. By the third round, I was sure I would throw up. Fortunately, I held it together and won first place. The same work ethic and determination from 28 years ago has helped me create a multi-jurisdictional personal injury practice today in Georgia and California.
