Sarah Shahi

 Sarah Shahi was born Aahoo Jahansouzshahi on January 10, 1980. She was born in Euless, Texas, U.S.She is the daughter of Abbas Jahansouzshahi and Mahmonir Soroushazar who is an interior designer who divorced when she was ten.Her father hails from Iran. Her family emigrated from Iran just two years before the Iranian Revolution. Her father, who worked in the American Embassy in Iran and was scheduled to be executed in 1979. However her mother was able to leave the country. Samantha is a production assistant and Cyrus is an older brother. Her birth name, Aahoo (Persian Aahoo, also known as ahw) is a reference to gazelle in Persian. Shahi adopted Sarah for her name during the second grade after hearing a tune called "Sarah" due to being "tormented" by children over her birth name, Aahoo. She learned Persian and English on the advice of her father. Shahi's parents first began allowing her to participate in beauty pageants at the age of eight. Shahi was educated at Trinity High School and Southern Methodist University. She was also a part of Alpha Chi Omega while she was at SMU. In 1997, Shahi was crowned Miss Fort Worth. She was a member of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (1999-1900) team, despite never having previously cheered. Later, she moved to Los Angeles.