About

Lebanese-Canadian, Published writer, Poet, Adult educator, Instructor at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. . 

Born and raised in a war-torn city, Beirut, my whole life was framed within insecurity and uncertainty. As a survivor, I endeavored to give voice to those whose lives have been impacted by fear and insecurity, and tell their stories to the whole world.

I have always been passionate about storytelling as a powerful tool of education and bringing people together as they learn how similar our stories are, and how those stories connect us all in one historical timeline.

As an educator, I realized I had a platform to make a difference and help enact change in the Lebanese society emerging out of war. To promote peacebuilding in the absence of a history curriculum about the fifteen years of civil war in Lebanon, I strived to teach my students about our painful past, through storytelling.

Since 2011, I became involved in working with refugees, displaced women, and young adults at the refugee camps in Lebanon. Moving to Toronto in 2015, I volunteered to help Syrian refugees settle in Canada, and I created Kalimat, a website that showcases the stories and struggles of refugee women I worked with. 

With my fluency in Arabic, French and English, and formative years spent in Lebanon, France, and Saudi Arabia, I joined the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto and earned a Master of Education degree in Adult Education and Community development, with a focus on Women, Young Adults, Peacebuilding, War Trauma and Critical Media Literacy.

As an adult educator, I joined the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies where I currently teach the four courses of the Arabic Translation program as well as the Eastern Mediterranean Arabic course; I have earned three Excellence in Teaching Awards in my first three academic years at SCS.

I founded Duroob, an educational platform that aligns with my vision to open new channels, give voice, and encourage dialogue to disrupt misconceptions and stereotypes about the Arab world. The platform includes Duroob Talks, and teachings about the Arab culture, Civil war, Refugees, Media Representation and other topics. Duroob also includes Meet and Treat, a storytelling series about Middle Eastern history, culture, and culinary art.