Growing up, Muhammad Ali was one of my idols for many reasons: his confidence, skills, his unwavering commitment to represent the best version of himself and his beliefs, and most of all, his dedication to his fans.  His dedication to creating an excellent experience for anyone who watched him set him apart.  Just like my idol, dedication and unwavering support are what I provide.  Growing up on the Southside of Chicago as a first-generation child of immigrants, my lived experiences have given me the skills to provide services that encompass elevating the learning experiences for our students from the global majority, especially our Muslim/Arab students.  

 

Since ALTAIR began in 2019, elevating the voices of marginalized groups has been a crucial part of my work, with the focus on providing quality, unique service in curriculum design, professional development, and student support. With over 20 years of teaching experience,  my passion for education has helped me assist schools and organizations in implementing sustainable change. I have shared my knowledge on an array of current educational topics from culturally relevant pedagogy, immigration and ELL students to how to meet the needs of your Muslim/Arab students.   As a co-founder of the Arab-American Educators Network Facebook group, I have collaborated with other Arab-American educators to create spaces to share our ideas, struggles and to provide support.  I am on the teacher advisory group for the National Museum of the Native American located in Washington, D.C. where I collaborate on teacher workshops, present on best teaching practices and help promote NAMI resources to other educators.  Through my Affinity Groups, I mentor middle school Muslim girls in Baltimore County Schools that help them navigate the world around them along with developing a stronger sense of identity.  

 

In my spare time, I created a YouTube show called Real Talk: Our Space with a colleague of mine where we discussed topics from education, investigative journalism to the history of Hip Hop. Our show reflected our shared interests but also the same desire to elevate all voices. 

​

​

​

​

 

​

 

​