Iranian mathematician Dr. Maryam Mirzakhani passed away last Friday after four years of fighting with breast cancer. She was only 40 years old. Maryam remains the only woman and the only Iranian to ever win a Fields Medal-the most prestigious award in mathematics, described by many as the Nobel Prize of math.

Mirzakhani was born in Tehran, where she grew up an avid reader. In high school, she joined Iran's International Mathematical Olympiad, and in 1994, she became the first female student to win a gold medal. She competed the following year again and earned a perfect score-and another gold medal.

Mirzakhani went on to study at Tehran's Sharif University of Technology until 1999, and she got her doctorate at Harvard University in 2004. She spent the next four years teaching at Princeton University. In 2008, Mirzakhani became a professor at Stanford University, where she continued working until her death.

Our sincere condolences to her parents Ahmad & Zahra Mirzakhani, her husband, Dr. Jan Vondrák and their beautiful daughter Anahita.

Dr. Mirzakhani was not only an inspiration to her colleagues but to all girls and women around the world. It is this kind of inspiration that Child Foundation promotes among children it supports. We sincerely believe the education is the best and most efficient way for children to escape the circle of poverty and decide their own destiny. 

By supporting any of our children, you can help them have a chance in walking in footsteps of Maryam Mirzakhani.