During the evening hours in the Paul Mellon Arts Center (PMAC) and Colony Hall, building monitors Ms. Sarvenaz Keshavarz and Dr. Bill Powers P’14 walk the halls brimming with creativity, acting as guardian angels to Choate artists. Patrolling the long corridors on weeknights and weekends, they help out students who forget their ID cards and ensure that students are safe. On occasion, they stumble upon a romantic rendezvous and handle the situation appropriately. Both Dr. Powers and Ms. Keshavarz play an integral role in the management of Choate’s beloved arts buildings, but it’s only a small part of their lives.
Photo by Sophia Kim ’24/The Choate News
When she’s not monitoring the chambers of Choate’s arts buildings, Ms. Keshavarz studies criminology at the Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). She also uncovers experiences of World War I veterans in Connecticut as a research assistant for the Veterans History Project. Born and raised in Wallingford, Ms. Keshavarz has 12 aunts and uncles on both sides of her Iranian family. From a young age, she was encouraged to follow in the footsteps of her family and pursue a profession in the realm of criminal justice. “My interests were originally in forensic science, but I realized that in forensic science, I don’t really get to work with a lot of people and I love talking. I love supporting [others] through verbal language, communicating, so that’s why I’m in criminology,” she explained.
Ms. Keshavarz was recently accepted into the master’s degree program for Criminal Justice at CCSU and plans to obtain her Ph.D. in criminology-related studies in the future. “For now, I’m thinking juvenile justice, but there are so many different things I can do with my current study path that I’m still exploring,” she said. After completing her studies, Ms. Keshavarz hopes to start a program that organizes “community-based projects to promote non-socially deviant behavior within the juvenile communities.”
During her shift in the PMAC on March 20, Ms. Keshavarz brought in boxes of Persian sweets for faculty members to celebrate her favorite Persian festival — Persian New Year, or Nowruz. “It is almost a month-long celebration with so many different activities, so much good food, music, and dancing.” Ms. Keshavarz has a strong connection with her Persian culture through her family members, many of whom live in Iran. Her favorite part of her culture is the importance it gives to hospitality, or taarof. “Taarof is when you go back and forth with another person about covering a bill. You say ‘I’m gonna pay,’ your friend is gonna say ‘no, no, I’m gonna pay,’ and you go back and forth for 30 minutes and keep the waitress waiting.”
As she continues to pave her path in the study of criminology and criminal justice, Ms. Keshavarz also enjoys her position as a building monitor for the PMAC and Colony Hall. “The Choate community is full of so many talented, intelligent, and diligent students, surrounded by the support of faculty and staff who want to see them grow and succeed. I wanted to be a part of that amazing community,” she said.
Photo by Sophia Kim ’24/The Choate News
Dr. Powers and his wife, Mary, have been married for 32 years and have two sons. One of his sons, Owen Powers ’14, is a Choate graduate and was a member of the hockey team. From being a Choate parent, Dr. Powers became familiar with the campus and associated Choate with “great experiences and happy memories.” The Powers stay connected as a family and spend time together on holidays.
An Illinois native, Dr. Powers attended the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, where he studied engineering and earned a Ph.D. in Metallurgy, a field in the material sciences and engineering. “I enjoyed the technical studies. Math and chemistry were my favorite subjects, so I went on to study engineering,” he said. Dr. Powers continued his studies at the University of Virginia to conduct postdoctoral research focusing on material sciences. He then worked on corporate research for the United States Surgical Corporation, where he helped to develop surgical needles. “I enjoyed working on materials that were used to help people. That was fulfilling,” he remarked.
Dr. Powers is an accomplished engineer who has not had time to explore his love for the arts. “I was always in the technical field. I was never an art person, but I love music,” he said. Dr. Powers played trumpet in high school, and he discovered his appreciation for classical music in college. “I was studying for my qualifying exams as a Ph.D. student, and I started listening to classical music as I was studying. Soon, I was listening to entire symphonies and learning them,” he said.
For Dr. Powers, being a building monitor is not a boring job. He said, “It’s so unique for a job that just basically entails walking around and observing. It really has not been boring here because of all the things I can see and learn about.” Dr. Powers admires the accomplishments of Choate students. During his shifts, he has “a chance to read a little bit or look at the artwork and listen to the musicians practice.”
Through his job as a building monitor, Dr. Powers hopes to provide students with a sense of safety and security. “I try to help them and just make sure things are going smoothly and keep an eye on all the rooms. And hopefully, I’m just a reassuring presence,” he said.
