Winning the Eagle Scout award at the age of 16 years, Parinaz Hathiram of North Carolina is "probably one of the first if not the first Zarathushti girl to win this award… the highest award bestowed upon Scouts in the United States,” noted an email from Arzan Wadia, president of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America. Among the first wave of females to enroll for Scouts BSA (Boy Scouts of America) when the doors were thrown open to them in 2019, Parinaz takes her responsibilities very seriously.
As senior patrol leader she has helped "build an inclusive and considerate culture…by planning fun, but productive meetings every week. My goal is to create a positive impact” before the term comes to an end in April, stated Parinaz in response to queries from Parsiana. After that she will continue to attend troop meetings and serve as a role model for newcomers to the Troop 233. She would like to help out with monthly trips by becoming an assistant scoutmaster, stated the 11th grader who studies at the Charlotte Latin School in Charlotte.
Parinaz Hathiram with her Eagle Scout award
Parinaz Hathiram as a Bulbul
Familiar with the scouting movement from the time she was a toddler accompanying her father Homiar to his Scout troop, Sethna 18th West Mumbai, she would happily join in the Sunday activities, playing cricket, learning scouting skills and participating in competitions. However, since girls were not allowed to enroll for her father’s troop, it was only at the age of six years that she could join the local Bulbul Flock.
The following year when Homiar’s job as an international banker at Wells Fargo required the family to relocate to Hong Kong, Parinaz joined the 20th Island Pack as a Brownie (Hong Kong’s equivalent of Girl Scouts). In 2016 when the family moved to the US, she joined Pack 33 as a Den Chief (youth leader). Since 2019 Parinaz has been affiitated with the newly formed Troop 233 for female Scouts.
Devoting two-and-a-half hours to Scouting activities every week, she spends another three days on their monthly camping trips. Her favorite activity is camp-o-ree when several troops from the Charlotte Mecklenburg County District come together for a weekend of camping, fun and competition with the winning troop earning bragging rights.
Scouting is not her only co-curricular activity. Being an avid golfer, Parinaz is captain of the Varsity Girls Golf Team in her school and volunteers as assistant coach for children aged five to eight years. On her school band she is leader and mentor of the flute section. While pursuing Mandarin studies she volunteers as a teaching assistant for Chinese art classes. Additionally she is president of the Charlotte chapter of She Makes Club that empowers young girls to embrace engineering as a career by hosting make-a-thons.
Last year she completed an intensive six-month program offered by the Fab Academy that requires students to envision, design and prototype a new project each week using digital fabrication tools and machines. Her final project was a Magic Mirror, which talks to you, and has an AI (artificial intelligence) system and a humidity sensor. As remarked her biology teacher, Dr Topher Gee: "When Pari commits herself to something, she commits completely. Not only does this mean that she dedicates herself to the inevitable challenges that she encounters, but also that she maintains a sense of perspective and proportion as she faces them.”
Planning to pursue a career in engineering or medicine, she will apply to colleges next year. To get a head start, "I am currently working with a professor from Duke University on Reverse Engineering the index phalange and understanding the effects of osteoarthritis on the index phalanges. One of the main reasons I chose to reverse engineer the index finger and explore the effects of osteoarthritis on the joint, was inspired by my aunt who suffers from this disease,” mentioned Parinaz.
She regrets there are not many Zoroastrian associations where she lives but refers to her mother Binaifer, a human relations professional, observing the Friday ritual of reading the story of Mushkil Aasaan (a poor woodcutter and his family whose fortunes were reversed by angels) with grams, sugar and cardamom. "This has become one of the most prominent stories which I have drawn morals from… It has taught me to always stick to my morals which my parents have taught me and to never refuse help to anyone in need. This is evident in my choice of extracurricular activities, I always ask the question: ‘How can this activity or cause benefit my community? Does this make a positive impact on someone’s life?’”