broken image
broken image
  • Home
  • Who We Are 
    • Our Story
    • Our Board & Advisory Board
    • Our Students
    • Annual Reports
    • Media
  • Our Programs 
    • English Program
    • Women in Tech (WiT)
    • Professional Skills Development
    • Legacy
  • Get Involved 
    • Students
    • Volunteers
    • Support Us
    • Career
  • Partner With Us
  • Blog
  • …  
    • Home
    • Who We Are 
      • Our Story
      • Our Board & Advisory Board
      • Our Students
      • Annual Reports
      • Media
    • Our Programs 
      • English Program
      • Women in Tech (WiT)
      • Professional Skills Development
      • Legacy
    • Get Involved 
      • Students
      • Volunteers
      • Support Us
      • Career
    • Partner With Us
    • Blog
    DONATE
    broken image
    broken image
    • Home
    • Who We Are 
      • Our Story
      • Our Board & Advisory Board
      • Our Students
      • Annual Reports
      • Media
    • Our Programs 
      • English Program
      • Women in Tech (WiT)
      • Professional Skills Development
      • Legacy
    • Get Involved 
      • Students
      • Volunteers
      • Support Us
      • Career
    • Partner With Us
    • Blog
    • …  
      • Home
      • Who We Are 
        • Our Story
        • Our Board & Advisory Board
        • Our Students
        • Annual Reports
        • Media
      • Our Programs 
        • English Program
        • Women in Tech (WiT)
        • Professional Skills Development
        • Legacy
      • Get Involved 
        • Students
        • Volunteers
        • Support Us
        • Career
      • Partner With Us
      • Blog
      DONATE
      broken image

      From Student to Teacher: Tarek’s Journey with Paper Airplanes!

      by Paper Airplanes

      · English,People of PA,Students

      Tarek is a Syrian Mechanical Engineering student, living in Homs. He is also a student in the Paper Airplanes English program, completing the Upper Intermediate level. Most recently, Tarek has added another title to his impressive resume: Duolingo Global Ambassador, and Arabic Event host!

      Prior to joining Paper Airplanes’ English program, Tarek had a functional knowledge of the English language. With the support of his tutor, he has been able to strengthen not only his English language skills but also his conversational skills. He mentioned how Paper Airplanes has strengthened his self-confidence too, breaking communication barriers.

      One of his tutors recommended using Duolingo Events, which is a platform for online conversation groups facilitated through Duolingo. Upon looking at the platform, Tarek found that there were few Arabic conversation groups but recognized a gap in the platform that he knew he could fill. Tarek sent in his application, and after some back and forth with the Duolingo team, his application was successful! 

      As a Duolingo global ambassador and events manager, Tarek has found himself immersed in a new community of passionate language-learners. Tarek now regularly hosts events, titled Arabic as a lifestyle, that feature conversations on music, culture, food, proverbs, and more, engaging Arabic language learners on a wide variety of topics! Using his new and strengthened English language skills through his journey with Paper Airplanes, Tarek is working to make Arabic language learning more accessible through his own conversational groups that bring together learners from all over the world. 

      Tarek is passionate about language learning and hopes to continue to study with Paper Airplanes, which he considers a launching point for his career in education - an unexpected but happy pivot! He continues to work with his tutor and in conversation groups to better his English skills, especially his conversational skills. He explains: “You can never close the doors to learning!”

      Tarek recommends that students should have a strong personality and sense of perseverance in order to overcome the initial barriers of working with a tutor online. Overcoming this challenge can create a sense of resilience, and will support language learning beyond measure!

      Tarek has big plans for the future! He hopes to continue to make education, especially English language learning, more accessible - especially focusing on improving access to education for women.

      Subscribe
      Previous
      My interview with Sedra: An aspiring Syrian molecular...
      Next
      Supporting Education for Generations: In Honor of Dr....
       Return to site
      Profile picture
      Cancel
      Cookie Use
      We use cookies to improve browsing experience, security, and data collection. By accepting, you agree to the use of cookies for advertising and analytics. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Learn More
      Accept all
      Settings
      Decline All
      Cookie Settings
      Necessary Cookies
      These cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. These cookies can’t be switched off.
      Analytics Cookies
      These cookies help us better understand how visitors interact with our website and help us discover errors.
      Preferences Cookies
      These cookies allow the website to remember choices you've made to provide enhanced functionality and personalization.
      Save