Mehran founded a software development company at the age of 22 and within two years had 20 employees. It was a success, but one day he realized he wanted more: he wanted a graduate degree in software engineering.
With some work and perseverance, he eventually won a scholarship to get his doctorate at a prestigious American university. He transferred his stock to family members, put in place a substitute chief executive, sold his apartment, and began the process of getting a visa.
Finally, two months later, he was granted permission to study in the United States and on Sept. 6, he headed to the airport. But Mehran, 24, never made it onto the flight — his visa had been revoked and he was turned away at check-in.