Concordia College

Crowd Welcomes Saberi Home

Hugs, applause and tears greeted Roxana Saberi '97 as those who have known her the longest gathered at the Fargo airport to welcome her home Saturday afternoon.

Cathy McMullen, who teaches journalism at Concordia, was among the first to greet Saberi as she exited airport security. A band of Concordia faculty and students played "America the Beautiful" and Saberi started crying.

"I'm so glad you're home," McMullen told her as they hugged.

Saberi said it was the first time she'd cried in public since she was released from custody in Iran. The freelance journalist, who lived in Iran for six years, was arrested in late January and sentenced in April to eight years in prison for spying. Organizations, communities and individuals quickly rallied to her support. The sentence was later reduced and she left the country in mid-May.

"I didn't think I'd see friends like you so soon," Saberi said Saturday, a reference to her original sentence.

The emotional homecoming included many from the Concordia community – former professors, current students and friends.

"We have celebrated many memorable homecomings," said President Pamela Jolicoeur. "We do homecomings, but none of them tops this day."

The community support, from both her hometown of Fargo and Concordia, was especially dear to her while she was in prison, Saberi said. Among those she thanked were Concordia students who sold ribbons to draw attention to her case and people who participated in a vigil.

"I understood the value of good friends and good community like you," Saberi said. "Thank you for teaching me I was never alone and I never will be alone."

Seeing Saberi's signature smile was a relief to those who had worried for her safety and prayed continually for her release.

Dr. Stephanie Ahlfeldt, assistant professor of CSTA, snuck in a quick hug as Saberi and her parents made their way through crowds of people holding flowers and "Welcome Home" signs. Ahlfeldt was Miss North Dakota the year before Saberi received the title in 1997 and they become friends.

"I feel more relieved and much calmer than I did before," Ahlfeldt said after the Saberi family left the airport. "She's here and she's safe and she's still Roxana. It's wonderful."

Charley Johnson '72 taught Saberi in two classes while she was a student at Concordia and he persuaded her to work for a while at KVLY-TV in Fargo where he is now the general manager.

Her imprisonment was nerve-racking for everyone, he says.

"You're so worried. You know she was in grave danger, but there's so little you can do," he said.

Saberi plans on spending some time with her family in Fargo. She also will write a book, a project she started in Iran before her arrest. The book will still address her experiences in a country where she found most people treated her kindly and accepted her as one of their own.

"But I think it (the book) needs some updating now," she said.