Adil Baguirov County Recorder

Education runs in Adil Baguirov's blood.

Baguirov, who last year was elected to the Dayton Board of Education, is just a veritable open book on subjects ranging from education policy to the history of the Ahiska Turkish community in Dayton, where he's one of many rising leaders. He's also a teacher at several universities, including University of Dayton. Adil Baguirov County Recorder

The well-traveled educator says the freedoms he's enjoyed in America have continued to amaze him, even when the mountainous terrain of his native Caucasus region occasionally make him consider home. Born in a the main Soviet Union today called Azerbaijan, Baguirov loves the small things in Dayton, from the open hours of restaurants to his favorite local spots like Press Coffee, where he met me for drinks and cake.

Q: The thing that was it like coming to America?

A: I was supposed to attend law school in Moscow when I graduated from high school. I was 15, and I already was get yourself ready for the entrance exams, and the results came that I was accepted into one of many schools in the United States. I jumped for joy and told my parents I needed in the future here, although it was an inferior university in Michigan and I'd planned for one of the best universities in Moscow.

That was early ‘90s, and I didn't only want to study law, I needed to understand about business and I thought the curriculum here could be better.

Ever since, something led to another, I transferred to a college in Los Angeles, lived in Washington D.C., and I had a great experience coast-to-coast and traveling around the country. I obtained to understand more of America and different experiences here, different accents, expressions and I like it. Whenever you go to European countries, I bring samples of how we do things in America, typically either running a business aspects.

Q: What do you like best about living here?

A: Freedom of speech which can be enshrined here. It's hard to sue a person simply because he expressed his thought, and that's completely different even for advanced companies in Europe. You can be easily sued for something. It's the small things I find. The stores open 24 hours, that's so awesome. In Europe and in the big cities, if you wish to have lunch after 2:30, you're out of luck. They shut things down until dinner. Here you are able to go like a meal at almost any time. Sets from something high up to something very practical. I, as an immigrant and naturalized American, find a lot of little things such as which are better, although I already knew Europe really well and I knew the culture.

Q: How's the culture different?

A: Parents are very happy for the successes of their children. They cut them a lot of slack, they desire them to savor life. Our grandparents had harsh lives and bad conditions and they wish to make sure their children can enjoy life and get things they certainly were not able to get, such as for example education, and the capacity to enjoy freedoms and generate income like they certainly were not able to do when they certainly were persecuted.

We've proven it, with eight years in America and the impact we've had here.

Q: Can you keep anything that reminds you of home?

A: Definitely. I'm a mountaineer myself, starting mountains, skiing, flying. I really like snapping pictures and post them. They're just mountains, but I really like them, they're so beautiful.

I really like the culture and history of this the main world. I studied it, even if I studied business and political science and international relations. I've published several historical articles in peer-reviewed journals so I'm kind of a beginner historian, too. I really like history. It's why I teach that program at UD and I get it done at some other schools including George Washington University in D.C. and some others. Adil Baguirov Dayton

I prefer the history, and the culture, I have great appreciation for them and I see them interesting, from the cuisine the dances the costumes, and so on. I've been active in the nonprofit sector, a lot of them in Washington, so I put my passion into use and action. I'm very proud to have earned some pretty big issues that way.