Meet Zizi

I was born in Huntington, NY and moved to Argentina when I was 4 years old, only being able to speak English.  My parents enrolled me in a Dual Language School where English was taught in the morning and Spanish in the afternoon.  My Egyptian born father and American born mother spoke several languages between them, but Spanish was not one of them. 

I became fully immersed in Argentine culture. I was truly living a “novela”. I was flourishing socially but I was not very successful academically.  I had trouble connecting as a visual and kinesthetic learner. School at that time was all about rote memorization. My school experience inspired me to change the way teachers motivate and educate students. 

My missionary work during my high school years was spent in the poverty stricken rural areas of Argentina. This made me see the importance of being a teacher. I saw how one person can truly make a difference in the lives of children.  

After high school, I returned to live in the US, where I attended Centenary College in NJ.  I was proudly part of the last graduating class of all women. Centenary College changed the way I viewed education. It opened new doors for me. For the first time I became an academically “successful” student.  While teaching elementary school I attended the University of Houston on a full scholarship to obtain a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a minor in Math.

 Over the past 30 years, I have had the opportunity to work as a teacher and  administrator in public and private schools. I translated materials and developed a science curriculum for the Health Museum of Houston. These wonderful experiences have made me into a person that has passion for igniting the potential in others.