Rabbie Banafshe

Student

“I like the fact that you can always talk with teachers here. There’s lots of counseling and tutoring, and the whole place is like totally ‘open door.’”

Two words sum up Rabbie Banafshe’s first year at SMC: “It’s perfect!” he says with his typical energy and enthusiasm. “I’ve got a good job in the Athletic Department, where I’m basically kind of a secretary for all the coaches. I’ve got my own office, and I know everybody!” says Rabbie, for whom social networking is a way of life. But Rabbie’s social skills are also put to good use on another level—without a thought of benefit to himself.

“Ten years from now, I’m going to be a California attorney with a beautiful house,” he says with disarming candor. “But I’m also going to have a lot of foundations and open a lot of charities, because I like giving back to the world. I’m already volunteering at Cedars-Sinai Hospital,” he continues, “and I put in about 15 hours a week there. This takes away a lot of time from school, but when you go there, you meet these older people and talk with them about their lives. It’s mostly Jewish people,” he adds, “and some of them were in WWII, and they really open your mind up to a lot of new thoughts. So for me, volunteering to help other people is right up there with studying, because I learn a lot in both situations.”

A “totally Mediterranean guy—half Persian, half Italian,” Rabbie reports that world politics is a field of study where he feels he can excel. “My Political Science professor is a perfect lecturer. You get everything you need to know about political philosophy, but he makes it seem easy,” says Rabbie. “He’s like a pal who’s coaching you through all the stuff. And when you’ve got a problem, you can talk with him like a brother. I’m going to remember things he taught me as long as I live,” Rabbie continues. “And who knows? Maybe it’ll come in handy if I become the next Johnny Cochran!”

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