Nehad Heliel, Ph.D., Director of the C.V. Starr-Middlebury School in the Middle East.

Nehad obtained her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics and Translation from Alexandria University. Her academic interests focus on sociolinguistics and Arabic dialectology, as well as literary and religious translation.

Nehad has taught Arabic and Linguistics at both the graduate and undergraduate levels at Alexandria University and Western Michigan State University.  Nehad also taught Arabic at the Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL) Center in Alexandria for several years prior to becoming the first Director of the School in the Middle East.

Heba Abdelgalil, MA, Assistant Director of the C.V. Starr-Middlebury School in the Middle East (Egypt)

Heba received her BA and MA from Alexandria University.  She has been working with the School in the Middle East since its inception in 2007, as an instructor for several years, and now as the Asst. Director.  Heba has extensive experience in teacher training, materials development, and educational assessment.  She also serves as a consultant for a number of international agencies in Egypt, with a focus on language education.

Yamila Irizarry-Gerould, BA, Resident Coordinator of the C.V. Starr-Middlebury School in the Middle East (Egypt)

Yamila is originally from Northampton, Massachusetts.  After graduating high school, she took a gap year and worked in the New York public schools with AmeriCorps.  During her junior year in college at Tufts University, she studied abroad with Middlebury's program in Alexandria.  After graduating in 2011 with a degree in Middle Eastern Studies, she spent the 2011-2012 academic year (and summers) in Cairo studying with the Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA), as well as working with a development organization.  She is thrilled to be able to share her love for Egypt and Arabic with incoming Middlebury students!

Said Hassan, Ph.D., Professor, Modern Standard Arabic, Media Arabic

Said received his first master's degree from Dar Il Oloom in Cairo in Arabic Grammar. He  also received an MA from the American University in Cairo in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in Arabic Language. Said teaches at both the Middlebury School in the Middle East, and at the American University in Cairo.

Essam Mostafa, BS; CC-TAFL, Instructor, Modern Standard Arabic

Ustadh Essam holds a degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies from Cairo University.  He also holds a certificate in teaching Arabic as a foreign language from the American University in Cairo.  In addition to teaching Arabic in Egyptian schools since 1990, Essam has taught with a number of international Arabic programs in Egypt, including the Middlebury program since the Fall of 2010.  During the fall of 2011, he taught both Modern Standard and Colloquial Arabic at University of Michigan.  He has also participated in reviewing texts and developing activities for a number of Arabic textbooks.

Lana Habib Gubran, Ph.D., Professor, Egyptian Colloquial Arabic

Lana joined our ECA team during the spring of 2008. She is a lecturer in the Department of French at Alexandria University where she teaches French Language and Literature.  In addition to her Ph.D., Lana holds two master's degrees; one in Francophone Literature of the Middle East and the another in the Methodology and Teaching of French as a Foreign Language.

Wissam El Meligy, Ph.D, Professor, Arabic Translation, Arabic Literature

Wissam has taught comparative Literature in the United States and currently chairs the English Department at the Damanhour branch of Alexandria University.  Wissam has fifteen years of experience in teaching translation, at both Alexandria University and at the Arab Maritime Academy.

Ashraf Hassan Mansour, Ph.D., Professor, Islamic Politics

Ashraf received his PhD. from Alexandria University where he specialized in Modern and Contemporary Philosophy.  His studies include Islamic Thought, Political Islam, Political and Social Theory, Comparative Religion, and the History of Economic Thought.

Ashraf serves as the Assistant Editor of a quarterly Journal "Tahaddiat Thaqafiah" (Cultural Challenges) and contributes to some leading Egyptian Intellectual Journals: Fosoul (Fragments), Awraq Falsafiah (Philosophical Papers), Qadayah Fikriah (Intellectual Problems), Al Falsafa wa Al Asr (Philosophy in Our Time).

Mona El Nashwi, MA, Instructor, Egyptian Colloquial Arabic

Mona earned her Master's in Education at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK in 2010. She is currently working on a second MA in English and American literature. Mona received her B.A. in English literature from Alexandria University 2007. She has taught English for Specific Purposes and Arabic as a Foreign Language, but has concentrated on Egyptian Colloquial Arabic in the Middlebury program. Mona has been a leader of our cooking club in addition to her formal teaching responsibilities.

Zehad Sabry, BA, Instructor, Modern Standard Arabic

Zehad received his BA in Arabic from Alexandria University and is currently working on a Diploma in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language, and an MA in Arabic Linguistics.  Zehad began working with the Middlebury program in the spring of 2010.