Campus Progress Student Representative and recent graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, 23-year-old Hooman Hedayati, has been featured in both The Wall Street Journal and Public Radio International’s The World for his work organizing a rally set for Wednesday at the Texas state capitol to protest the controversial results of the Iranian election.

On Friday, June 12, presidential elections were held in Iran. The close results revealed incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to be the winner and prompted protests and claims of fraud by many Iranians at home and abroad who were hoping for a regime change throughout the country.

Originally from Iran, Hedayati has been a Campus Progress Representative for several years, receiving action grants for his work against the death penalty in Texas. He also served on the Campus Progress Student Advisory Board and won the award for Best Student Representative in 2008.

Quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Hedayati said, “The main similarities between the post-revolution generation and our parents who were protesting in the streets of 1978 is that we are both hoping to create a free democratic government where our civil rights and liberties are respected. But the difference is that the young people who are protesting today, unlike in the '70s, are very educated and envision a more secular form of government with more personal freedoms.”

Hedayati, who voted in a polling booth in Austin, is disillusioned by what has transpired since the election. As he told PRI’s The World, “After voting and seeing the results of the election and what’s happening in Iran, it’s really sad and disappointing. I’m not sure anymore if my vote has been counted. I’m not sure about the truth of this election anymore.”

Check out Hooman's video footage from the rally here.