It was a bold request for an 11 year old.
Kevin Nazemi wanted to interview the President of the United States.
Kevin didn’t seem to care about his age or that he recently immigrated to America from Iran and his English skills were still developing.
The boy, who lived in Missouri at the time, had a class project to create a news report and he couldn’t think of a better subject than the current president, Bill Clinton.
Kevin wrote a formal letter to the White House requesting an interview. Staffers sent him a coloring book in return—but it didn’t deter Kevin. He began calling the White House instead, making his persistence known in daily calls.
One of those phone calls eventually reached junior staffer Dave Anderson, who at least listened to Kevin’s rather outlandish request. Anderson was only 23 then—and all these years later, he still remembers the kid’s persistence.
“His tone was demanding,” Anderson told David Begnaud at CBS Mornings. “It never felt like, ‘Pretty please, can I get an interview with the president?’ It was much more, ‘When can I interview the president?’”
After a few weeks of daily calls, Anderson relayed the request to (an always affable) President Clinton, who actually agreed to the interview. Clinton was heading to Cleveland soon and could meet with Kevin there.
The interview, which was only supposed to last eight minutes, ran on for a half hour. Clinton enjoyed the interaction. The kid asked good questions and Clinton gave him some good advice too. Kevin’s interview eventually became a 30-minute special on a local TV station which had partnered with his school on the class project.
Perhaps most importantly, the experience left a lasting impression and numerous lessons he would never forget.
Nothing is impossible. You can accomplish anything with enough persistence.
The precocious young man eventually studied at MIT and Harvard’s Business School. He founded four start-up companies, making good on the American dream that he chased down all the way from Iran. He also stayed in touch with Anderson, as the young White House staffer grew up and had two children of his own.
Then, out of the blue one day, Anderson received a letter explaining that Kevin had set up college funds for Anderson’s kids Noah and Maddie as a thank-you for believing in him.
Recently, they got to meet for the first time. He also reunited with President Clinton, who, not surprisingly, still remembered him 30 years later. (Watch the CBS Morning video at the bottom…)
And it all started with a bold request by an 11-year-old that launched the boy on a successful trajectory through the next three decades of his life.
“The opportunity that (Anderson and President Clinton) provided for me convinced me that you should set really, really big goals and be persistent towards them,” Kevin said on CBS.
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“The generosity and the honesty in the experience of sitting down with Clinton showcased for me traits that I’ve tried to carry forward in my professional and personal life.”
And he’s been paying forward Anderson’s kindness ever since.
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