Our CEO, Devin McGranahan is proud to recognize Arian Hajihassani as Western Union’s CEO Scholar of the Year, the organization’s highest scholarship award for the 2023-2024 school year. Arian was selected for this prestigious award based on his academic success, early career achievements in the field of medicine, and his future potential to positively impact on the world.
Arian is a first-generation university student studying biochemistry and mathematics at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Driven by an insatiable desire to learn and make meaningful contributions to cancer treatment and prevention, he has already demonstrated great impact in his field by contributing to the development of a potential new treatment for patients diagnosed with type I & II diabetes, and has had pancreatic cancer research findings published in the American Association for Cancer Research Journal. These achievements have been largely influenced by his experience as a part-time researcher at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children’s Hospital and internships at esteemed research institutions such as Case Comprehensive Cancer Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center/Weill Cornell Medicine.
“Arian’s academic achievements and contributions to medical science as an undergraduate student are truly remarkable,” said Devin McGranahan, CEO of Western Union. “Western Union and the Western Union Foundation are proud to support Arian’s academic journey. We believe he has a bright future ahead with great potential to make a lasting and positive impact on the world.”
As an international student originally from Iran, Arian has faced mounting bills and expensive tuition while studying in the United States. To make ends meet, he works two part-time jobs – and is grateful for the financial support he received as a two-time Western Union Foundation Global Scholarship recipient. Now in his final year, he is thrilled to have been recognized as Devin McGranahan’s Western Union CEO Scholar of the Year, which includes an additional financial award.
“Your belief in my potential, especially during a time when I faced financial hardships in my undergraduate journey, is deeply meaningful to me,” Arian shared. “My ultimate dream as a growing young scientist is to become a principal investigator in a medical institution with the aspiration of contributing to oncological research and finding potential novel therapeutics for cancer patients like my mother.”
The Western Union Foundation launched the Global Scholars program in 2017 to provide funding to international students struggling to afford their final years of college. The Foundation awarded 70 scholarships in the 2023-2024 school year to support students studying at 31 universities in 10 countries around the world. These high-achieving students hail from more than 30 different countries of origin, leaving home to make their higher education dreams a reality.
The Western Union Foundation is proud to fuel the pursuits of aspiring international students with scholarships to help them afford higher education. Click here to learn more about the Foundation’s scholarship programs and awardees.
