Aptos High School senior Iman Moshari, 18, came to the United States from Tehran, Iran, at age 4 with his mom looking for a better life.
He’s a cycling fanatic who saved up his money to buy a pricey bike.
Iman Moshari
He’s entrepreneurial, starting his own nonprofit called Bikes4All. He and fellow classmates collect bikes that are abandoned or not in use, repair them and give them to people who apply — more than five dozen.
He’s ambitious, applying for the Rise Challenge along with 143,000 other teens, aiming for a full-ride four-year college scholarship and becoming one of the 99 finalists.
Aptos Times interviewed Iman Moshari via email.
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How did your family land in Aptos?
When my mother and I immigrated to the United States, we were simply following a path left by my father’s family.
When my parents separated, we found ourselves in Aptos — the rest is history. I guess you can call it fate in a sense.
How big is your family? Do you have siblings?
My family is incredibly large, but they are largely in Iran. I love them so much and I miss them every day. Maybe I can have them come to U.S. one day, but until then I’ll be Face-timing them as much as I can.
I do not have any siblings.
What do you love about biking? Do you have a favorite trek?
Cycling serves as my sanctuary — a way to break free from our ever-imploding world and a relaxation from the stresses that constantly ache our minds.
I don’t have a favorite trail. I like to think of Santa Cruz as one big trail that I have yet to finish riding. Everywhere you explore will be just as stunning as the next.
When did you get this brainstorm about recovering abandoned bikes for kids in need?
This idea originally came back to me in my sophomore year of high school, just before summer break. I heard from a friend that the state parks were throwing away dozens of bikes every couple of months and I was shocked.
I know a lot of deserving kiddos and adults whose lives would be changed for the better if they had a bike. So I started Bikes4All — with the bright goal of serving everyone in Santa Cruz County by providing them with a free bike
You’ve gotten bikes from the Capitola Police Dept. How much repairs do the bikes need? How many students have done repairs to earn community service?
Bikes are like humans, each one has a unique ailment that makes them different from the rest—which makes fixing them complicated, but a lot of fun.
The bikes are repaired by high school students under my mentorship and guidance, and then they are rigorously tested before they go out.
As a result, we have around 10 kids who have completed their community service requirements through us.
How many bikes have you matched with kids?
Less than half of the bikes we have given out have gone to kids.
Most of the applications we receive are from adults without a means of transportation. We help them with that.
Is there a waitlist?
The people who apply are all over the Santa Cruz County. That’s who we serve and who we will continue serving.
Our waitlist is quite large at the moment — though we are very grateful — because of the recent influx in applicants as a result of more people talking about us.
We are not a first-come-first-serve organization. If your situation is dire, you will be placed favorably in line so that we can get you out of whatever situation you are in.
However, if your situation is not dire, you will still be served, regardless of your need.
Parents will be buying new bikes for kids who have outgrown their old bikes. Could they donate those bikes to your nonprofit? How?
Parents or folks who would like to donate a bike they have laying around, left by their kids, or are just not riding anymore can go to bit.ly/bike4all and follow the directions to donate.
We will pick up the bike for you and find a time that works with your schedule.
How else could people in the community support this effort?
Monetary donations are greatly, greatly appreciated. Sometimes a bike will simply be marked for the dump simply because we don’t have the overpriced tools to fix it.
Monetary donations allow us to get the bikes working again and ready to go.
Folks can go to bit.ly/bike4all and email us to find out how to donate.
What’s the update on your early admission college applications?
I have decided to rescind my early decision application.
After some more research, I have become interested in more colleges and programs that I would like to have the option of attending.
When will you find out about the Rise scholarship?
I have already found out about the Rise scholarship! I won it!
Who will take over Bikes4All when you go to college?
That’s a tough one.
We have so many passionate people currently working in our organization that it will be tough to choose.
I will continue overseeing the organization when I am in college, but there will be new leaders who will physically run the organization to serve the community.