Lily Nabet’s favorite memories from childhood are of family. She grew up in Encino in a tight-knit Persian Bahá’i community alongside two older brothers, Amin and Matin, surrounded by dozens of cousins, aunts, and uncles. “My life was based around being outside and being with family,” says Nabet. “Most of them lived within 10 or 20 minutes, so I always had that sense of family, wherever I went.” She’s closest with her mom, Shadi, who she calls her best friend. “I can tell her everything,” says Nabet. “She’s also the strongest person I know.” Nabet feels indebted to her mom not just because of what she and her family went through in leaving their whole lives behind in Iran, but because of the gentle way Shadi nurtured her kids’ talents, always encouraging them to follow their dreams, but never pressuring them to be something they didn’t want to be. “I feel so proud to be a first-generation Persian woman in the United States,” Lily says, “and I feel extremely proud and ...