Anthropologist turned to tech! Worked worldwide in NGOs and Development. Highly motivated to taking on challenges, believing that I am capable of learning anything I put my mind to. Particularly love problem solving and working in dynamic teams.
My background in development has equipped me with resilience, a sturdy work ethic, and a strong sense of empathy. I am excited by all aspects of tech, especially in how it can be a force of positive change in how people relate to each other, and can move us towards more equitable and empowered societies!
After graduation I worked in several places (France, Greece, Iraq and Egypt), in various roles within international development agencies. Between then and now, I have studied Arabic at the French Institute in Cairo, trained at a Muay Thai camp, worked as a project manager on some local construction projects, taught myself how to code, and received two scholarships (Makers and Kernel) to learn more about tech, coding, and web3!
Since June 2021, I have been studying at Makers Academy through a full scholarship. Intensive, the course has given me fundamentals of software development through making interesting projects. I have also been learning best coding practices. I am excited to be in a dynamic and creative working environment!
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|For a complete list, see my GitHub.
| Bank Tech Test |
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Basic exercise in TDD and clean code. Built using Ruby. |
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| Chitter |  |
Basic Twitter clone allowing users to post messages to a public stream. Built using Ruby, Postgres and Sinatra. |
 
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| RPS |
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Simple game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock! Built using Ruby and Sinatra. |
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deployed here! |
Chief Editor (English) | SMART news | (Remote)
(2018-2018)
Arabic-language newspaper reporting on-the-ground news in Syria
Worked remotely within diverse teams. One of the problems this encountered was the need to be available at all hours, as teams members were working in different timezones, not to mention the language barrier. I enjoyed the challenge of working flexible and somewhat unpredictable hours. I also figured out e-mail correspondences (translating when necessary) between key team members and made my availability clear to all, thus ensuring that there was a (relatively!) seamless exchange of information for delivering news effectively. I was also responsible for ensuring news feeds were properly translated, formatted and uploaded to the website in a timely manner. I really enjoy organising, presentation and managing the flow of work, and so this was an added perk to the job.
Sr Monitoring and Evaluation Officer | Bahar NGO | (Erbil, Iraq)
(2017-2018)
An NGO delivering medical aid to the North-eastern parts of Syria
Lead a small team of Syrian refugees during the building-up of one of their offices in Iraq (the organisation is headquartered in Gazientep, Turkey). One of the many challenges of working in this context was delivery of services, such as to areas like Makhmour, which required clear and concise direction in order to be successfully executed. Again, I really enjoyed having to communicate with many different actors in order to figure out the best possible way to achieve our common goals, and we managed to begin collecting data on protection and recreational services we could provide to women and children in this area.
Carried out and collected on-the-ground data, produced localised reports
Cultural Mediator | Save the Children | (Kos, Greece)
(2016-2017)
An INGO delivering humanitarian aid services to children.
Responsible for mediating relations between 40 undocumented minors and a team of NGO staff. This was a very challenging environment, but one where I enjoyed the fast pace and unpredictable nature of the work. One of the biggest challenges faced here was of improving relations between staff and minors, which I helped to achieve through delivering cultural workshops, as well as by facilitating meetings between staff and beneficiaries. These efforts came to a fore during the 2017 Kos earthquake. As none of us were really prepared for this situation, by working in makeshift camps on the streets, we managed to really solidify our sense of solidarity and community!
Kernel KB3 cohort (2021) (Remote)
a collective of people discussing and networking on potential futures in web3 and decentralised internet.
Arabic at the French Institute (2018 to 2019) (Cairo, Egypt)
MSA and Ammeyah
Software Development Bootcamp | Makers Academy
(June 2021 to Oct 2021)
Intensive 16-week development bootcamp, comprising of pair-programming, self-led learning, group projects and workshops. Also covered:
- Agile methodologies in fast-paced (~2week) group projects
- Quickly picking up new technologies, using different tech stacks
- Developed clean-code principals
- Covered OOP, TDD, MVC
- Ruby, Rails, Sinatra, JS, MERN
- RSpec, Capybara, Jasmine, Cypress
MA(hons) Anthropology, Arabic, Development | School of Oriental and African Studies
(2014 to 2016)
BA(hons) English Literature, Philosophy | University of Edinburgh
(2009 to 2013)
Year Abroad | University of Melbourne
(2011-2012)
Communicator
Working for SMART news as the only native English speaker in an Arabic newspaper was a position purely based on the importance of effective communication. I had to constantly make sure my manager was able to understand the decisions I was taking, as he only spoke Arabic. I did this through sending regular e-mail updates, requesting other colleagues to mediate our conversations, and sending translated versions of the texts. This ensured that our work thrived, despite the barriers of distance (working remotely) and language.
During Makers, I was able to apply these skills during pair-programming sessions, where effectively communication was of vital importance in learning new languages and tech stack with a partner. In general, this helped me develop my overall tech skills. Furthermore, it has given me the confidence to always ask questions and maintain a throughly collaborative environment in any future employment I may have.
Thrive under pressure
Being able to effectively communicate and mediate has been a big part of most of my previous jobs. As a cultural mediator with Save the Children, it was my job to make sure the beneficiaries were receiving all the information pertinent to their needs at the shelter. I wrote up and translated copies to be distributed around the shelter, and headed any staff meetings or interactions that involved communication with the beneficiaries. I was also the first point of call for emergencies.
During Makers, we were given several 2 week challenges from idea to implementation, where we were also to learn the stack or tech within that time frame. I noticed my previous experiences were useful in this as I was able to deal with deadlines effectively, and was also effective at keeping the team on schedule by consistent rounds of standups and retros. I was also able to keep the morale up when other team members were stressed. I believe this is a strong asset in any team as it means I do not shy away from pressure or intensity, and in certain contexts, even enjoy such accelerated environments.
Initiative
When I started working for Bihar in Iraq as a Sr Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, I was thrown into the deep-end having to learn everything from scratch and train my team from day one. I did as much research as I could on the position, and produced studies and analyses of the local area, learning about data collection techniques. I also networked by attending all the local conferences to do with the topics of our concern (protection, health clusters), looking for potential project partners and donors.
During Makers, I had to start thinking outside the box by figuring out ways to improve my skills. This I did by being able to delegate time to take online courses around the tech I was studying, so that I could both apply it, and also share ideas to teammates that they may not have considered before. This meant that we were able to implement features using much more straightforward applications (e.g. discovering many rails gems!). As I am always interested in learning something new, I believe this curiosity for knowledge and learning will be a great asset to any team I work with in the future, as I will always be trying to approach ideas in new and novel ways.
Analytical
I worked as a researcher for Law Business Research, which required me to produce reports on economic trends in corporate law markets. I headed the constuction law issue, being responsible for delegating research to my team, producing and editing articles and reports, carrying out primary and secondary research. I enjoy analytical thinking and I was glad readers benefitted from my research and predictions on seasonal legal market fluctuations.
My time at Makers allowed me to put these skills to great use, especially in terms of arriving to a MVP. I was able to deduce the key elements and features of the app and focus on these to deadlines. It has also made testing a very interesting concept to get my head around, as I look to test behaviours and not states - I find this very enjoyable. I would definitely like to delve deeper into testing methods and implementation in any future employment I may have.
Yoga, hiking, running, climbing : : I love being active, going on adventures and trying out new and novel activities.
Painting, drawing, tattoo : : I enjoy spending time honing my drawing skills. I attend life-drawing sessions when I can. Most recently, I am teaching myself how to tattoo
Writing, reading : : As a former student of literature, of course I enjoy reading and also looking to write creatively, in short-story and play format.