Shervin is a son of two Iranian asylum seekers who faced religious persecution and fled for their lives in the wake of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. He grew up watching his mom work long hours, nights, weekends, and holidays at a department store to make ends meet for the family, while his dad took the bus to and from California State University Northridge and studied to become a family doctor. Today, Shervin is a public health professional who worked on HIV prevention and harm reduction within the LGBTQ+ community and later became invested in Indigenous healthcare advocacy.