The Soraya Foundation is named after my mother, Azita Soraya, because sport was the language she used to give her daughters opportunities she never had. She grew up as one of eight siblings, each navigating life with their own strengths, dreams, and responsibilities - together forming what always felt like a constellation rather than a single story. That idea of many individuals shining in different ways is what gives the name Soraya its meaning: a cluster of stars. 

 

Growing up, she carried ambition, strength, and drive, but lived in a world that did not always accept those qualities in a woman. When she became a mother, she made a deliberate choice: to give her daughters access to the opportunities she was once denied - to run, compete, and explore life without limits.

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She pushed me towards athletics not for trophies or recognition, but because she believed that sport was a pathway to freedom - the freedom to test your strength, take up space, and fail and rise up again without apology. Through athletics, she gave me what she was once denied: the permission to dream loudly, exist boldly, and move through life on my own terms. She also made sure I understood something deeply - that when sport ends, life doesn't, and the next dream begins.

 

The Soraya Foundation exists to honor her story. It is a commitment to live out the dreams she held for herself and for me - a testament to the people who raised me, and a promise to help every athlete find their light after athletics.

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- Darya Kaboli-Nejad

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