Roosevelt High School is home to many notable alumni, including rapper Sir-Mix-A-Lot, musician Ryan Lewis, and actress Solea Pfeiffer.
Among these significant graduates is Darya Farivar. Her name may sound familiar, as her name has been on the news, online, and on campaign signs in yards. At the age of 27, Farivar has already made waves in the world of politics.
During the 2022 election cycle, Farivar campaigned to represent District 46-Position 2 in the Washington State House of Representatives. The district is made of north Seattle neighborhoods including Roosevelt, Wedgwood, Green Lake, Greenwood, Wallingford, Bitter Lake, and Lake City.
Farivar emerged victorious in her election against Lelach Rave (D), with 56.06% of the vote (to Rave’s 43.03%). This makes her the youngest person to represent the district as well as first Middle Eastern woman to be elected to the state legislature.
Farivar is passionate about the work she does within the community, especially because she has lived here her whole life. Farivar attended View Ridge Elementary and Eckstein Middle School before going on to Roosevelt.
Farivar said, “[At] Roosevelt, I was really able for the first time to take on different leadership positions. … Not in the sense of like, I did debate club or something — My leadership positions were in [being] water polo and swim team captain.”
Farivar was also an active member of the language arts class, “Hands For a Bridge,” a program that continues today, which gives Roosevelt students the chance to analyze social justice in their local and global communities — connecting Roosevelt with schools in Northern Ireland and South Africa.
Farivar continues to give back to the community, including when she coached the Roosevelt Girls Water Polo team as well as serving on the Seattle Women’s Commission. She said, “I really care about this community. I grew up in those halls of Roosevelt. And if there’s anything that I can ever do, anything. … I’m always here. My door’s always open for a Roosevelt student.”
Farivar also spoke highly of Ricky Ohashi and Cuauhtemoc Escobedo at Eckstein Middle School, as well as science teacher Bryan Marenstein at Roosevelt. “There are so many teachers that had a hand, you know, I think in helping me become the person I am today,” she said.
After graduating from Roosevelt, Farivar studied at the University of Redlands in Redlands, California. She received degrees in Communicative Disorders and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Farivar said she chose this educational path because the University of Redlands had a good college water polo program. She said, “I wanted to get out of Seattle. I was also really tired of playing water polo in the snow and rain and hail.” She was also inspired by the university’s study abroad program: a “May Term” which allowed her to study abroad during the month of May.
Post-university, Farivar worked at Disability Rights Washington where she served as the director of public policy. Her job was to put together the legislative agenda and lobby on behalf of the organization.
Farivar went to Olympia, Washington on a regular basis, monitored legislation, and made decisions on whether DRW weighed in on bills. She added, “Once you start seeing [issues], you can’t unsee things,” referring to what initially drove her to run for office.
Farivar saw many examples of intersectionality in her everyday life and wanted change. Throughout her 2022 campaign, Farivar’s main focuses were increasing public safety, gun responsibility, and educational opportunities.
When asked who inspires her, Farivar said: “Iranian women, period.” Her family’s ancestral story motivated her to pursue her dreams. “I really think that I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams,” she said. “Because they could not fathom a reality where you could vote and have your vote counted, genuinely. And also that a young woman of color, who speaks up against injustices, could run for office.”
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