Experience Summary
I have worked in many nongovernmental organizations with children and I have had many past experiences working in the educational field with NGOs and governmental organizations throughout Gaza. I value teaching and working directly with youth. I was trained to work with youth at the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) and acted as a coordinator and teacher. I have also taken leadership and teaching roles in the Palestinian Youth Forum, Sharek Youth Forum, and the Palestinian Youth Union. These experiences have given me valuable skills in training, coordinating, and facilitating youth projects and programs. Most recently, I worked with the Sharek Youth Forum, a Palestinian organization to enhance Palestinian society through youth empowerment. I worked in the English Language Unit with volunteers and my last position was a facilitator for their Family Center Project funded by Save the Children. It was through this job position that my interest in pursuing higher level education in policy, management, and leadership developed. The experiences of my past have shaped my goals for the future. My commitment to social justice has been apparent in the work I have done with the Rachel Corrie foundation and Amnesty International. Furthermore, I mentor students in Gaza to pursue education rather than militarism in their lives. Three of the students I have mentored have carried on pursuing their graduate studies, and I look forward to continuing this work and contribute in creating better future for the Palestinian youth.
Recently, I have continued in service learning through my work with the Middle East Students Association where I have served as a community organizer, organizing events for the Arab students of Pullman. In addition to community organizing work in Seattle, I have worked as a volunteer coordinator for the Arab festival of Washington. Moreover, my commitment to social justice, volunteerism and service learning is exemplified in the work I have done as a multicultural team member, assisting in organizing and coordinating trips to Gaza with the Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility.
I would bring a very unique perspective to the position because I have experiences that no one should have. I have witnessed extreme human rights abuses in my community and have lived under Israeli military control and conflict most of my life. I have worked on relief efforts and witnessed things that would be traumatic for most people. My community has been devastated by the Israeli blockade of most goods, food, medicine, school supplies and (re)building materials. The political and social experiences that I would bring to a graduate program could be useful to educate other communities and educators about the conflict and how many organizations are dealing with the outcomes.