Dean Jan Pearson presents Darius Assemi with a plate commemorating Granville Homes’ generous gift to the NALC. |
Darius Assemi is not an attorney, but the President of Granville Homes has a very clear understanding of how hard it is for legal immigrants to become citizens. He emigrated to the U.S. from Iran in 1978 to obtain his degree in Civil Engineering from California State University, Fresno. He says he personally saw the scams that target those seeking citizenship.
“We understand the challenges, especially for those who don’t understand the laws,” he says. “Immigration is very complicated, and we want to help assure legal immigrants seeking to become citizens don’t get abused.”
To that end, he is donating $120,000 to help fund San Joaquin College of Law’s New American Legal Clinic, which officially opened in January. The NAL Clinic provides legal immigrants with free information and counseling with the ultimate goal of attaining citizenship. It also seeks legal status for victims of violent crimes such as domestic violence and supports agriculture by assisting immigrants in obtaining legal status to enable lawful employment.
Assemi believes the benefits of that lawful employment extend to all sectors. “We need talent to keep us on the forefront of innovation and we need a workforce to execute the vision of the talent. We need somebody to dream it and somebody to build it.”
Assemi has built a great deal since his arrival in the U.S. He has worked at family-operated Granville homes since receiving his engineering degree, using that position to give back to the community. Among its many charitable projects, Granville builds and raffles off the “Home of Hope” each year, raising well over $2 million since its inception in 2006. Proceeds benefit charities ranging from the Poverello House and Community Food Bank to various foundations for Valley schools.
When asked why he chose the NAL Clinic as the latest recipient of his generosity, Assemi says “This country and this city have been very good to us,” adding “The opportunity in this country is incredible. Your success is determined by the capacity of your character and how driven you are. It’s one of the driving sources that makes this country so successful.”