Ibrahim Alaboud is a highly accomplished Syrian lawyer with a passion for humanitarian development, particularly in education. His expertise in criminal law, combined with his pursuit of an MBA at the prestigious Edinburgh Business School, has helped him excel in his career over the last five years. He first joined Paper Airplanes in 2018 as a student and quickly became an integral part of the team, volunteering to support students and assist with the organization's mission. Through his unwavering dedication and exceptional leadership, Ibrahim quickly rose through the ranks, serving as the English program manager and now the executive director. His impressive patience, communication skills, and ability to remain calm in any situation make him an invaluable asset to Paper Airplanes and the communities they serve.

Margaret Greco is an experienced director of development and fundraising with seven years of experience helping nonprofits serve their communities. Specializing in grants, donor relations, and fundraising campaigns, Margaret is determined to use these experiences to help Paper Airplanes grow and make an impact by providing opportunities to people worldwide. Margaret has been able to put the English, theater, and organizational leadership degrees she earned to good use. Over the years, Margaret has helped over ten nonprofits, and her passion for helping others makes her an invaluable asset to our cause. When she's not campaigning or writing, Margaret spends her days being a full-time mother to her daughter, volunteering with her local woman's club, impacting her community as an active community board member, horseback riding, blogging, and working on her new podcast.

My name is Karim Mikhail, and I am a first-generation Egyptian immigrant studying neuroscience and philosophy in the United States. I am currently a second-year university student with aspirations of attending medical school in the future. Coming to the United States, I was fortunate to have incredible mentors who guided me while adjusting to a new country and empowered me to pursue my aspirations; without them and the privilege of education, I wouldn't be where I am now. I felt called to likewise make education accessible for fellow Middle Eastern migrants, especially refugees, which prompted me to join Paper Airplanes and give back to communities in need.

Manar graduated from Damascus University with a master's degree in periodontology. She is currently pursuing an MBA degree at Nexford University, a scholarship she gained as part of her participation with Paper Airplanes. Manar has been involved with Paper Airplanes since 2018 in different capacities, starting as a student in the English program, as a student coordinator, and since 2021 as the admissions and enrollment coordinator. On top of working with Paper Airplanes, Manar works as a dentist and volunteers with different NGOs that focus on providing education and health services for marginalized communities in Syria. Her favorite hobbies are learning languages, listening to music, and watching her favorite movies and TV shows.

Muhammad is an agricultural engineer. He has been involved with Paper Airplanes since 2018 as a student, then as a tutor coordinator in 2021. He is now working as an English program facilitator with Paper Airplanes. Besides working with Paper Airplanes, he works as an executive administrator at a lubrication company. He is so grateful for being with Paper Airplanes because he wants to help raise the educational level of conflict-affected individuals.

Sarah Faron is an English program facilitator and a therapist. She first joined Paper Airplanes in 2019 as an English tutor. She is interested in voluntary and humanitarian work. In her free time, she likes to read, write, and learn new things.

Rama is from Syria and graduated from university in 2015. However, she didn't have a chance to start working because she had to improve her English.

Joining the English program in Paper Airplanes helped develop her English skills, and from student to volunteer, she has gotten the chance to be the Women In Tech program facilitator.

As a facilitator, Rama assists the Women in Tech program manager in most of the tasks related to students' enrollment in the program. She also follows up with mentors, tutors, and students.
In her free time, Rama loves reading, practicing English conversation with her friends, and playing sports.

I am Alaa Al Muhammad, originally from Syria, and I am currently a university student enrolled in a Lebanese university. In the fall of 2023, I had the privilege of becoming a Program Coordinator with Paper Airplanes. My deep passion for reading is an integral part of my life, and I find immense joy in exploring numerous books that delve into the realms of human development and self-improvement.

Sara Hawchar is a Lebanese English instructor at the Lebanese University. She holds a master’s degree in English language and literature with a focus on linguistics from the Lebanese University. Sara has helped different NGOs in many ways, including as a mentor, teacher trainer, professional skills trainer, business English teacher, and subject coordinator. Sara joined Paper Airplanes as a program manager for the Professional Development program in January 2023. With over ten years of experience as an educator, she has developed a wide range of skills that make her an effective program manager, including the ability to organize, plan, lead a team, and solve problems. When she’s not working, Sara spends her days being a full-time mother for her three kids, taking new courses, listening to music, and surfing through social media.

Ammar has a bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from the University of Al-Baath. He has completed Masters of Building Information Modeling and Management at the Syrian Virtual University. Before joining Paper Airplanes, he worked as a volunteer at Syrian Arab Red Crescent’s Water and Rehabilitation Department.

Osama Sifo is a Syrian living in Istanbul. He is the COO of Apollo Group and has 12 years of experience working in civil society organizations in Syria and Turkey. He has worked in the field of communications building outreach strategies, managing projects, and conducting social research. He also organizes international campaigns to help those affected by the Syrian civil war. He is the director of The Sortrait Project, and an Entrepreneurs’ International Coach and Mentor certified by ILM-UK.

Juyun Hwang (she/her) is the volunteer recruitment coordinator. She has been an English program tutor with Paper Airplanes since fall 2020, with teaching experience in both the Speaking Classes and the One-on-One Program. In spring 2023, Juyun also became a member of Paper Airplanes’ social media volunteer team and, more recently, assumed the position of volunteer recruitment coordinator. In this role, she supports Paper Airplanes’ outreach efforts. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in molecular, cell, and developmental biology and a global health minor. Currently, she is in her gap years preparing for medical school. While she spent most of her life in California, she originally hails from Seoul, South Korea and understands what it is like mastering English as a second language. She realizes that wonderful mentors have supported her to where she is today, so she joined Paper Airplanes to help her peers achieve their own goals and more!

Joelle Mulzac has been a volunteer copyeditor with Paper Airplanes since February 2023. Joelle is responsible for copyediting Paper Airplanes’ written content, including its web pages, brochures, and social media posts.

Joelle has always been a grammar nerd. Before joining Paper Airplanes, Joelle was an ESL teacher, but is now transitioning to a career as a copyeditor and pursuing a copyediting certificate at the University of California, San Diego.

Other than copyediting, Joelle enjoys traveling, swimming, caring for animals, and learning about history and geography. Joelle also enjoys helping others, and has a lifetime of experience doing volunteer work in the US and other countries.

Seedra is a media student at Damascus University. She is passionate about everything related to media and education. She is currently a communications intern and an English tutor at Paper Airplanes.

Mahmoud graduated with a degree in informatics engineering. He works as a front-end developer and as a graphic designer. He studied English with Paper Airplanes for more than two and a half years and graduated in the spring of 2023. Currently, he is volunteering as a designer with Paper Airplanes. Mahmoud suffered from the long-term war in Syria, but he was able to continue his education and benefited from the Paper Airplanes English program.