Our Staff

Holly started with Paper Airplanes in 2017. She was appointed as Managing Director in 2020. Holly applies her experience as a tutor, Tutor Coordinator and Program Coordinator to her current position as the English Program Manager. With a degree in Linguistics from the University of Maryland and a wanderlusting soul, she taught ESL in China and Chile before coming back home in DC where she is also simultaneously working as a Diplomatic Assistant at the Embassy of Japan. Holly immigrated to the USA from Vietnam, thus her passion and conviction in international education and assistance are what drive her work. She hopes to bring equitable education to who needs it most.

I was born and raised in Syria, graduated from the University of Aleppo in 2014 with a master's degree in criminal law and worked as a lawyer for six years. I moved to Lebanon to complete my studies. In 2018, I joined Paper Airplanes as an English language student, and afterwards, applied to be part of the PA team as a student coordinator in 2019. In July 2020, I moved to be in the position of Led Students Coordinator and the Admissions and Enrollment Coordinator. I am so excited for being part of such an amazing team.

Karenna is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in Political Science and English. She has been with Paper Airplanes since 2019, and previously volunteered as a tutor and Tutor Coordinator. Her Colombian and Turkish heritage has led to a lifelong interest in conflict and forced migration. In her free time, Karenna is invested in community organizing efforts and is a leader of the Pennsylvania Youth Climate Strikes.

My name is Stephanie Cannon, and I am a fourth-year international affairs and Arabic major at the University of Georgia. I also study Russian language and literature. I am the Speaking Classes Coordinator for the English Program. I began serving as a Tutor for Paper Airplanes in January 2018 and have also served as a Tutor Coordinator for the English Program. I am so thankful for this team and the incredible students we work with!

James attained a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology at the University of Pennsylvania and worked in Genetics Research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia following graduation. He was then named a Fulbright Scholar Finalist based in Jordan and is currently attending medical school in the United States.

In addition to being a Native English Speaker, James is proficient in both Arabic & Spanish. On his free time, he enjoys reading, lifting, and writing reviews for restaurants as a proud member of the Yelp Elite Squad.

From Syria living in Turkey. Senior undergraduate student double majoring in Optical & Acoustical Engineering and in Electrical & Electronic Engineering at Gaziantep University in Gaziantep, Turkey. I am Volunteering at Paper-Airplanes as a student coordinator. My interests are Technology, Business, Food, Entrepreneurship, and Podcasts.

Maxine graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal with a Bachelor's in Psychology and Criminology. She is currently studying towards a Master's in Criminology at the University of Pretoria. Maxine has been with Paper Airplanes since 2019, volunteering as an English Tutor. She holds a TEFL certificate and is currently employed as an ESL Teacher. Maxine has a varied career background, having worked as an academic tutor, photographer, graphic artist and marketing professional. She is passionate about language and learning and loves to share her knowledge through teaching. Maxine loves to travel and meet new people as this feeds her curiosity about languages and cultures. She is excited to be developing her involvement with Paper Airplanes in the capacity of Tutor Coordinator.

Catherine is in her third year at the University of Oklahoma, where she studies Arabic and Letters (History, Literature, Philosophy, and Language) with a minor in Psychology. In 2017 and 2018, service trips to Guatemala inspired passions for international engagement and nonprofit work that Catherine still pursues. Catherine has volunteered at Paper Airplanes as a tutor or coordinator for over a year. Additionally, she works as a consultant for The Oklahoma Group, a student organization providing pro bono consulting to Oklahoma nonprofits. She has studied abroad at Oxford University as a Global Engagement Fellow, and she hopes to study Arabic this summer in Jerusalem. In the future, she would love to work for the United Nations after attending graduate school.

My name is Wael Kourdi. I live in Syria, my home country. I am studying Medicine at The University Of Aleppo. I am a volunteer medical videos translator. I also work as a freelance English Tutor here in Aleppo. I first joined Paper Airplanes as a student in the English Program in 2019 and I was fascinated by this great organization and how it focuses on people who were affected by any kind of conflict, and I knew that one day I will be a part of its great staff team. in my free time I enjoy listening to music, playing Classical Guitar and watching TV shows. I am really grateful of being a part of this amazing organization that provides conflict affected people with the tools and skills to build a better future. 

Fadi Kafa is an English Teacher and Translator: He graduated from Tishreen University with a BA in English Literature in 2016 and a Graduate Diploma in Education in 2017. He has also obtained TESOL Certification from Arizona State University in 2020. Due to his deep passion for volunteering and teaching English, he began his journey in Paper Airplanes as an English tutor in late 2019. Surely he is a bibliophile, multilingual, cultured, highly ambitious and determined to do the best.

My name is Darian Barra, and I am a fourth year undergraduate student in the English Teaching program at the Universidad Católica de Temuco, Chile. My first language is Spanish but I have learnt English for around 8 years. I have worked as a Spanish assistant in Birmingham, England thanks to a program sponsored by the British Council. I helped and supported secondary students to gain trust and practice in the learning process of other languages. My experience with Paper Airplanes started in the Spring 2020 term as an English Program Tutor and now as a English Tutor coordinator. I am a good storyteller according to my students and in my free time, I enjoy turning the pages of a good romantic book and watching Netflix.

My name is Manar AlShams, I'm from Syria. I graduated from Damascus University in 2019 with a master's degree in Dentistry. I'm currently studying a BBA at Nexford University. I love learning languages and baking in my free time. I started with Paper Airplanes in 2018 as an English student and I'm very grateful to join now as a student coordinator . Paper Airplanes has had a huge positive impact on my life both personally and academically, and I can't be more grateful that I'm part of such an amazing team.

Emily graduated from Cedarville University with a B.A. in Music, and followed this up about a year later with a TEFL Certificate from the International TEFL Academy. She currently works as a service dog trainer, and has been moving around the country doing that for about a year now. She loves working with Paper Airplanes for many reasons, but the most important is the impact the organization can have on people's lives. She loves being part of a community that is passionate about making a difference, and has enjoyed getting to tutor for the past year. In her free time, she is a singer-songwriter and loves to read.

From Syria, graduated in 2016 from Damascus University where I studied civil engineering, I also got an associate degree in project management from the American University of Beirut 2018. involved with volunteering work when I was in Syria in the major of education and helping students. I have been with paper Airplanes since 2018, so proud to be part of the amazing paper airplanes family as a student coordinator".

An English Literature graduate from Aleppo University in 2018. I am currently doing my BBA Management Degree at Nexford University. Since I was at university, I worked as an English teacher in several different governmental and private schools in Lebanon and Syria. In 2019, I worked as an assistant professor at Aleppo University in the Department of English Language. I joined Paper Airplanes in 2017 as a student in the English language program. Eventually, my passion for PAs has continued after graduating from the English language program to join PAs' family as a volunteer tutor and students coordinator at the beginning of 2020.

I am a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where I studied Neuroscience and Healthcare Management. I am currently a medical student at Tufts University and am very interested in global health and health disparities in underserved populations. In my free time I love to bake pastries and bread and read!

Daniel graduated from Rice University in May 2020 with a BA in Biochemistry & Cell Biology and will begin medical school in Fall 2021. He began teaching refugees at Rice, where he mentored Houston refugee youths as part of PAIR (Partnership for the Advancement and Immersion of Refugees). Currently, he volunteers as an English Tutor and as an English Program Tutor Coordinator for Paper Airplanes while contact tracing for Dell Medical School. In his free time, he enjoys weight training, building computers, and playing music on the piano and cello.

Zeina is a Palestinian-Canadian performance poet, editor, and educator. She is pursuing an Education degree at McGill University and also completing a minor in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. When she is not studying or working, she can be found trying to plan her next trip or spending time with her friends.

I first joined Paper Airplanes in Summer 2019 as a tutor for the English Program and became a Tutor Coordinator for the English Program in May 2020. I have also worked with student-athletes at my university, providing them with writing assistance and feedback. Currently, I am applying for a Master's degree in the education field and hope to become a professor one day. In my free time, I love to read, watch films (especially animated short films), and spend time with friends and family.

Amn is an English Program Tutor Coordinator at Paper Airplanes. She recently graduated from Western University with a Bachelor of Medical Science degree. Besides teaching and learning, she also enjoys cooking and staying active!

I graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2013 with a B.S. in Health Information Management. I also obtained my TEFL certificate from the International TEFL Academy in 2020. I want to eventually teach English abroad in countries like Japan, Taiwan and the MENA region. I currently work as a medical biller and I also freelance tutor English to students in the MENA region, Vietnam, Taiwan, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. I started at Paper Airplanes in June 2020 as a tutor. Now, I am also a Tutor Coordinator and IELTS instructor. I am grateful to be working with such an amazing team. Paper Airplanes has helped me grow personally and professionally as a person. It has also well prepared me to become an English Teacher abroad in the future. In my free time, I like to travel, watching anime and Korean dramas, cook, bake, go hiking, watch UFC fights with my friends and trying all kinds of new and interesting foods.

I'm a second-year medical student at the University of Aleppo. I also work as an LMS admin assistant. I speak English, Arabic, and I'm currently learning German. I joined Paper Airplanes as a student in 2019, and then as a student coordinator. When I'm not studying or working, I will probably be watching Netflix or reading poetry.

Hatem is a student at the University of Aleppo, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, English Literature Department. He discovered Paper Airplanes Organization by a great coincidence through a friend in late 2019. He started as a student at the English program in 2020, then he became a SC in 2021. In both roles he enjoyed his work so much. He had the chance to offer his help and be a cooperative person. He thinks that it's his duty to help with everything good he knows in life and he is so glad of that. In his free time he plays the violin, goes for a hike, cooks healthy food and works out.

My name is Shihab Al Khalaf, a new SC with Paper Airplanes. I come from Aleppo, Syria, based in Lebanon. I am an English graduate and I have a teaching diploma. I have been teaching English for more than ten years. I am an extraordinary student because I left school at grade five in 1995, yet I returned to pursue my ambitions and resumed my study ten years later when I was twenty four. So, I had to learn English from scratch. However, after three years I enrolled in the department of English at Aleppo University because I was able to get both my middle and high school degrees during this period of time. I got my bachelor's degree in 2011 and my diploma in 2012. After graduation, I had to move to Lebanon due to the ongoing war in Syria. In Lebanon, I worked in some private schools and currently I am teaching Syrian students at an NGO called Basmeh & Zeitooneh which means a smile and an olive. I have been with PA as a student since 2016. I was offered an IELTS course in 2019 and I was funded to apply for the real test. Last December, I did my actual IELTS test and my overall score was 6. My last contribution for Paper Airplanes was to join this fantastic organization as an SC this semester. Working with Paper Airplanes is such an honor because helping others especially those who are in need is unforgettable. It may be simple and ordinary for some, but it is admired by others. I hope I can be a good addition to PA and I think that working as a team can make us bigger and more successful.

Zahra graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a business degree in Management Information Systems. Although she currently works as a Solutions Engineer at VMware, Zahra has always been passionate about finding ways to bridge education and technology. This has led her to work with startups in Yemen, Belize and China. Zahra joined Paper Airplanes as an English Tutor, but quickly became interested in helping expand the Women in Tech Program after seeing how much of a positive impact it was making on the students. In her free time, Zahra enjoys traveling, learning new languages, and attempting new adventure sports.

Zinab graduated from the ReBootKamp as a full-stack software engineer and after that, she was able to get my master's degree in Business Administration, MBA. Zinab worked as an admissions lead for more than one year and a tech trainer in many centers to help females achieve their dreams of becoming part of the tech field. She loves logic, solving toy problems, teaching myself new technologies, and of course, and sharing knowledge to others through tutoring. Zinab found her passion in coding, it's what she love to practice the most, it's more like a hobby. Even if Zinab is not working in the industry, it's part of her life.

Alicia teaches Python with the Women in Tech program. She is a senior at Harvard College, where she studies Chemistry & Physics with a minor in Arabic. She loves teaching and has been a TA for many classes in college. Outside of classes and teaching, she spends most of her time doing research in computational neuroscience. Alicia likes to spend her free time reading books, browsing pop music criticism, looking at memes, and thinking about how we can use neuroscience research to make teaching and learning better for everyone.

Highly motivated software engineer with more than 7 field years experience. I have a Masters Degree in Computer Science emphasis in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. I have worked in several projects one of which is related to studying the spatio-temporal refugee mobility by exploring mobile phone records in different regions in Turkey which I thought of as a very cool and impactful project. This has motivated me to participate in this program.

Hello, I'm a computer science undergraduate student studying at St. John's University. I've had a strong proclivity to working with computers since childhood which is why I enjoy learning about technology outside of the classroom as much as inside. I'm currently a Women in Tech instructor at Paper Airplanes. I prefer communicating in English, however, I'm also fluent in French.

My name is Jiho Kim and I will be a Web Development instructor for the Women in Tech program. I am an undergraduate currently pursuing a bioengineering degree at UCLA, with a technical breadth in computer science and a minor in biomedical research. I hope to work in tissue engineering and stem cell research!

Rania Ahmed graduated from Queen’s University in 2017 where she studied Political Science with a focus on Multiculturalism. Before joining Paper Airplanes in Spring 2020, she worked with lead initiatives with the City of Toronto focusing on local conflict and safe city building for marginalized youth. She also co-runs her own local non profit in Mississauga that aims to create educational and networking spaces for young women and girls . Rania is based in Toronto, and enjoys cooking, reading , and traveling when she can..

Rabab Elgayar graduated from the University of Ottawa with an Honors BA with a major in History and Theory of Art and a minor in Greek and Roman Studies in 2017. She first joined Paper Airplanes as an English tutor in 2017 and has loved the cause and the positive impact that Paper Airplanes is making and providing for people living in conflicted areas. She is trilingual: English, Arabic, and French. She has traveled and lived in many countries, such as USA, Philippines, UAE, etc., hence, she has great knowledge of cultures and religions. Rabab is interested in creating new methods of teaching to make learning languages easy.

Mhairi has a degree in Arabic and French from Edinburgh University and is a certified TEFL teacher. She has experience in community outreach, with a particular focus on supporting refugees. Mhairi started her involvement with Paper Airplanes as a tutor in January 2020. In March, she began an internship with the organization, helping to expand volunteer recruitment in the UK and create partnerships with like-minded organizations. Mhairi now volunteers as a Tutor Coordinator for the English Program and as a Conversation Groups Coordinator for the Youth Exchange Program. She also helps to write Paper Airplanes' bi-monthly volunteer newsletter.

Duaa is currently studying Computer Information Systems. She joined paper airplanes in 2019. Moreover, she is very passionate about volunteering and helping people in conflict-affected contexts. She is aiming to master data analytics and data science as well as improving education with new techniques depending on analyzing the main problems that are facing students with their schools. She enjoys reading, playing sports, learning languages, and experiencing new things. Be as the rain all around. Be a reason to revive a human heart.

Valentina started with Paper Airplanes in 2019 as an English Tutor and she was appointed as Director of Student Advising in 2020. She has a JD in Law from Bocconi University and an MA in International Relations and Diplomacy from UNITAR. She simultaneously works as Youth and Climate Change Outreach Support Officer for the UN Resident Coordinator Office in Fiji. She has a passion for travel and has lived in nine countries so far. She is passionate about SDGs, in particular goal 4: quality education.

Fatima is an English Language and Literature graduate. She has become involved with Paper-Airplanes in 2020. She was inspired by the work that PA does as she believes in education to be a basic right for all humans, thus she finds herself strongly motivated to develop and help to expand PA programs. She is passionate about the Student Advising Program as she realizes the struggles faced when it comes to jobs or scholarships applications. Moreover, she enjoys the diverse community of PA that gathers different people and different backgrounds in a one friendly environment.

Yasmeen is completing her MA from McGill University in Education & Society (with a concentration in Gender & Women's Studies). She has a background in International Development Studies and Communications. Yasmeen's research and work interests lie at the intersection of gender, education, and development with a focus on the Middle East. Her current MA research looks at gender representations in Jordanian curricula and the impacts this can have on social learning, and has been assisting a research project on refugee and local youth access to education and employment in Jordan. She is eager to support the mission of Paper Airplanes on a regional and global scale, and boost volunteer recruitment and engagement across the programs. Yasmeen spends most of her time between Amman and Montreal, and enjoys travelling, eating, and being active!

My name is Jumana Saadeh. I recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a bachelor degree in International Studies with a concentration in development and sustainability. I interned with Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency for about 2 years and Friends of Refugees for about a year where I assisted and translated for many refugee families whom I’m still in contact with to this day. I have always been interested in education, especially refugee education. I did my senior seminar on refugee education in Jordan and the United States. I am currently in Amman, Jordan. I like learning new languages (I took Spanish and Japanese courses in college), drawing and playing video games in my free time.

Anna South graduated in 2019 with an English Literature degree from the Joint Degree Programme between the College of William & Mary (USA) and the University of St Andrews (Scotland). During the initial March 2020 lockdown, she worked towards her TEFL certification with the International TEFL Academy, and started volunteering as a Speaking Class tutor.
Anna has worked as a theatre educator, administrator, and special events coordinator for the last few years, and currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland. When she's not lesson planning, Anna is a big fan of hiking, painting, and listening to podcasts while folding laundry.

Rafik Shoorbajee first started with Paper Airplanes as a tutor in the summer of 2017. A few semesters later Rafik transitioned to a student coordinator role helping create a better experience for our students. More recently he transitioned to the role of Data Manager for Paper Airplanes. Rafik now overseas the programs' data including the design of the database, security measures, and reporting. Currently based out of Seattle, he is a native of Virginia having graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2013 with a Bachelors in Biomedical Engineering. Outside of volunteering with Paper Airplanes, Rafik coaches high school basketball and works in software development.

Nadia Mohammad started her journey with Paper Airplanes in 2019 as a member on the English Curriculum Committee. That is how she learned about the impact the programs and tutors are leaving on their students. She is currently the Education Advisor at Paper Airplanes. Nadia teaches English for Academic Purposes at George Brown College. She has also taught English as a Second Language (ESL) and Language Instructions for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) at various colleges in Ontario, Canada. She has an M.Ed. in Curriculum Studies and Teacher Development from the University of Toronto, and she completed the Comparative Education program at UofT. She also has a BA from Birzeit University. Whenever she is not working, she is figuring out what to cook for her two daughters and planning what games to play with them. Other things that make her happy include practicing playing the Qanun, learning belly dance, reading and taking care of her plants.