As Founding Executive Director of Sanad Trust Foundation, I am part of a team that strives every day to build a family education center which embraces the heart, spirit, and grace of children, families, and elders. We believe children should learn in an environment that listens to their soul and their emotion, and nurtures both as they need. We are a ‘village’ of individuals, professionals, philanthropists, and parents that have come together to preserve our spiritual nature and the sanctity of family. Envisioning too a place for our elders, and eventually us in our later years, to feel loved and give love.
The cornerstone service of Sanad Trust Foundation is our unique soul-centered learning center for elementary, middle, and high school-aged students. It smartly incorporates technology and an advanced, accredited curriculum into a holistic approach to education and to the well-being of a child. Students we serve remain connected to the public school system and they benefit from high-quality learning coach services at Sanad Preparatory Learning Center (Sanad Prep). Sanad Prep focuses on creating an ethically sound and nurturing environment for children to thrive intellectually, emotionally, and socially. Our education philosophy is based on personal learning groups, relationship-building, trust, communication, sincerity, listening and established standards of moral etiquette. When children feel all of them is being heard, all of them can be spoken to.
I graduated from Teachers College, Columbia University (New York, NY) with a Masters Degree in Social-Organizational Psychology, augmenting studies with internships at the Organization of Islamic Conference, United Nations and courses at the Columbia Graduate School of Business. I have also completed doctoral classes in Clinical Neuropsychology at Nova Southeastern University (Ft. Lauderdale, FL). I continue to be inspired too by my travels and the teachers I have been blessed to sit with near and far.
Before starting Sanad Trust Foundation I worked as a trainee with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, Switzerland where I contributed to areas related to policy development, organizational design, and research on human resource management. I have been an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at Miami Dade College where I taught two courses: the Psychology of Success and Peak Performance. I have also consulted for community-based organizations addressing staff selection, training, change management, and communications. I continue to consult in areas of HR and development for a family-owned environmental and construction materials testing firm, Terra Tech Consultants, Inc. founded by my late father.
Attiqa Syeda graduated from John Molson School of Business, Concordia University (Montreal, Canada) with a degree in Finance. She has worked both in Canada and the US, with her more recent work being as a consultant allowing her to gain valuable experience in organizational development areas such as change management, collections, budgeting, and organizational culture. Attiqa has focused on designing financial models that complement organizational design, are balanced, and operate without deficit.
Attiqa has a personal interest in Islamic finance, tajweed and other areas of the Sacred Sciences. She has studied locally and taken courses with Scholars online. She has been an organizer and leader in her community in Montreal, managing and attending several Islamic seminars and programs. Attiqa remains active in her new community in Miami as well and has been integral to the development of Sanad. She also has a deep appreciation of Urdu language and literature. Born in Pakistan and raised partly both there and in North America, Attiqa has a keen awareness of the cultural sensitivities that are to be considered in communications and outreach. As part of the Sanad Team Attiqa serves as financial officer and is responsible for ensuring the needs, voices, and advice of the women and families we serve shape Sanad’s development. She is also a Sanad Prep parent!
Fareeza Ghani Ali is Sanad Prep Coordinator and Lead Learning Coach. She is a graduate of Florida International University with a degree in Business Administration. She brings to Sanad a breadth of professional experience in academic management. At Sanad, Fareeza is responsible for all aspects of Sanad Prep and works tirelessly to ensure the highest quality service is offered. She has been an active member of the South Florida community for years and is also a Sanad Prep parent!