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Gratitude inspired Nic Jafarieh to make a reunion-year investment in other students’ futures.
Virginia’s higher education system provided a world of opportunities for a young Nic Jafarieh (Col ’96, Law ’01), who had only been in the U.S. for a few years. Now, inspired by his educational journey, his understanding of the financial challenges facing degree-seekers, and his confidence in UVA, Jafarieh is providing scholarship support to students in the College of Arts & Sciences.
Jafarieh is currently the executive vice president and chief legal, government affairs, and communications officer for Sallie Mae.
He was seven when his family fled Iran after the revolution, and he spent the remainder of his childhood in France. When Jafarieh was a teenager, they relocated to Northern Virginia. “We could have gone any number of places. I was lucky that we ended up in Virginia,” he said. “Virginia has a really great public education system: for K through 12, but particularly for higher education.”
After living in the U.S. for only a few months, Jafarieh faced a new challenge: the SAT.
“I barely spoke any English,” Jafarieh remembered, “and didn’t have the resources for a four-year college at that point.” He completed a year of high school in Arlington and then attended Northern Virginia Community College. Two years and a 4.0 GPA later, he transferred to UVA. “I only applied to one college, and it was UVA.
“I had gone to visit and it’s where I wanted to be,” he said. “In retrospect, it was incredibly ambitious.” He still remembers his first day on Grounds. “It had taken so much for me to make my way there, and I was just really grateful for the opportunity. It was such a privilege, being in a beautiful setting surrounded by smart people and continuing to learn and prepare myself for what was next.”
Jafarieh’s parents had been academics in Iran but weren’t familiar with the American higher education system. He wanted to major in physics, but his advisors recommended a major with more reading and writing, knowing that Jafarieh’s goal was to practice law in his third language. He chose government and foreign affairs.
Robert Denommé, a French professor, took Jafarieh under his wing. “He had a relaxed way,” Jafarieh remembered. “I was nervous, and he helped me bring down the temperature a bit. Those were challenging years. I’d only been in the U.S. a few years, my English still wasn’t all that great. I was at a great university competing with elite students in a degree that required a lot of writing and communication. Teachers like him were a great source of counsel and guidance.”
Suzanne Ashley, an attorney and graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, met Jafarieh while both worked at Akin Gump in Washington, D.C.
Jafarieh returned to the University for law school, and when he went to Washington, D.C., to practice law, his UVA degrees opened doors for him. “UVA has a unique reputation for producing well-rounded graduates—this is particularly true of the law school,” he said. “Law firms love UVA graduates because they know they’re smart, hardworking, and culturally they fit well on a variety of teams. It’s a great network.”
This year marks 30 years since Jafarieh received his undergraduate degree and 25 years since earning his law degree. His time at Sallie Mae has made him acutely aware of the financial burden degree-seeking students and their families face. He created the Nicolas Jafarieh Endowed Scholarship Fund in the College of Arts & Sciences to help meet those needs. Jafarieh believes the University is uniquely deserving of his investment. “I think of the three pillars of higher education as being access, affordability, and completion,” he said. “These values are central to my role at Sallie Mae, which is why I’ve been so committed to my work there these past 17 years. And in these three areas, you won’t find a better place than UVA.”
Jafarieh and his wife, Suzanne Ashley, an attorney and graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, met while both worked at Akin Gump in Washington, D.C., prior to Jafarieh moving to Sallie Mae and Ashley to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. They are the parents of three children: Luke, Beck, and Anya, who attend Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Delaware.
Jafarieh is grateful for the part the University played in his professional success and the opportunities it has created for his family. “Higher education is the great accelerator. You can come to this country, work hard, get a higher education, get a little lucky—that’s the American dream. UVA helped not just me but thousands of people achieve that,” he said. “No place has had more of an impact on me and on my success than UVA. I can’t think of a better way to make a philanthropic impact.”
