Meet our “Cool Summer” Team

With campers and Camp Guides from around the world, we are ready for the coolest summer ever!

Our superstar team this summer includes:

آنسة شهد

Miss Shahed

Shahed is a rising senior at the University of Maryland studying Bioengineering. She is part of the board for her school’s organization of Arab students in which she organizes events to bring the Arab community on campus together. She has experience as a camp counselor working with campers of various ages and backgrounds. She loves Kalimah’s idea of using game-based learning as part of the language acquisition process and is excited to watch her campers grow confident speaking Arabic through this program.

أستاذة ليالي

Professor Layali

This proud mother of two bilingual kids is the Co-Founder and President of Kalimah Programs for Arabic Culture and Arts. Kalimah’s unique play-based Arabic immersion programs have served families and kids from all background in Maryland and Washington, DC. Through her work and research, Layali is exploring the power of art, music, and games in language acquisition. Her latest achievements include mentoring and training Arabic teachers on innovative learner-centered approaches and project-based language learning within and beyond the classroom. She strives to bring the world into the classroom so students can take the classroom out into the world.

أبلة مي

Mrs. Mai

Mrs. Mai is passionate about the Arabic language and the field of education. She works as a Science Professor at the Suez University, Egypt and spent two years working on her PhD research at the University of Maryland from 2016 to 2018. During that period, she volunteered as an assistant teacher with Kalimah Programs. She likes teaching Arabic as a second language because she likes to show people how amazing the Arab culture is!

آنسة نور

Mrs. Noor

Mrs. Noor (the meaning of her name is "light") lives in Milan, Italy. In her home country, Syria, she studied Biology at Alfurat University and taught at a secondary school. She has been teaching Arabic to non-native speakers through Natakallam since 2016 and really enjoys it. She likes to introduce people to the Arabic language and Syrian culture so that they get to know the bright side of Syria.

آنسة هبة

Mrs. Heba

Mrs. Heba is from Syria living currently in Washington, DC. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Arabic and Arab Literature from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at AlFurat University in Syria. She has worked as an Arabic language teacher at various schools and programs in Syria and USA and has recently worked and completed teacher training at a Montessori public school in Washingto, DC.

And our amazing volunteers:

Zain زين

Hi, my name is Zain Abuhatab and I am 13. In school I enjoy PE and science. When I grow up I would like to be a software engineer. I enjoy soccer and Xbox as well as almost any video game. I enjoy being at Kalimah Programs because it isn’t just a class but a way to bring people together while learning. I currently serve as Tech Support for the summer camp. I very much enjoy working with different technologies and troubleshooting because when I do, I’m learning things as well.

Noor نور

Hello, my name is Noor Damrah and I love skating, playing basketball, painting, and making global connections and learning from others. I am currently a junior in high school with dreams to become a marine biologist. I am a regional art competition winner and a member of an event planning committee at a youth center in Texas. I love helping others and bringing people together through an ever-changing multitude of cultures through language and knowledge, and ensuring that future generations are more knowledgable and tolerant of each other even through difficult times. I hope to make even the smallest impact to make the world a better place for all.