Fereshtehnbsp;grew up in a Baha'i family in Iran until she was 15. Her family decided to leave Iran to serve the Baha'i Faith elsewhere and ended up in El Paso, Texas. Fereshteh married an American and had an opportunity to return to Iran with her new family by way of her husband's company. While in Iran, she completed her four year college degree. She and her family returned to the US in 1976 and she continued her education, getting her PhD in psychology. Her thesis was on the psychology of martyrdom, which we talk about in the interview.