Meet The PK12 Country Reps from Venezuela & Egypt
Stacy Brown, Oklahoma City Public Schools, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
The PK12 interest section has been working hard to increase our global presence and engagement and bring everyone together. PK12 currently has members from more than 90 countries! Toward that goal, we have been working on forming teams of leaders from countries represented in the interest section. These leaders have stepped up to be a voice for their communities and to be a resource for other PK12 members, all of whom are working with students and families from around the world. They hope to be able to answer questions if another member needs support serving a student, family, or educator, or help with understanding issues related to education and well-being in their area. They will also help us to widen our lens as we gain insight and new awareness from them.
We are excited for you to meet our representatives from Venezuela and Egypt!
Venezuela Team
Ramón Oviedo is from Venezuela, and currently lives in Caracas. He graduated from the Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador Instituto Pedagógico de Caracas (UPEL-IPC) as a teacher of English, where he also completed his master’s degree. He loves staying up to date with new teaching trends. He also loves taking the OPEN Programs courses with the U.S. Department of State to further his professional growth.
He has taught at the high school level for 14 years. He has served in public, private, and subsidized education settings. He worked in public education for 7 years and in private for 8 years. He currently teaches at the Escuela Técnica San José Obrero Fe y Alegría, where he primarily works with 3rd, 4th, and 5th-year students.
Jessica Rivas is an EFL teacher and college professor with over 7 years of teaching experience in different settings. She holds a BA in Education, with a major in Foreign Languages, and a BA in Education, with a major in Philosophy. Currently, she is finishing her graduate studies, earning her Master's in Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages.
Egypt Team
Azza Salman is a certified EFL teacher trainer with over 15 years of teaching experience. She began her career in 2008 as a TOEFL instructor after graduating from the Faculty of Education. In 2009-2010, she was a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Azza holds a Master's degree in Arts and Humanities from the American University in Cairo (AUC), which she earned in 2014. During her graduate studies, she was part of the Arab Women Professionals Program sponsored by Open Society Foundations (OSF) and AUC. Azza taught English at King Khalid International Schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Currently, she serves as the English Department Head at Hurghada Official International School in Egypt.
Salwa Youniss, of Cairo, Egypt, is a Global Education Leader for Al Bashaer International Schools, CBL (concept-based learning) Division, iEARN Learning Circle Facilitator (USA), and RELO Mentor Trainer for RELO Cairo, US Embassy, Cairo, Egypt.
Salwa has been working for 20 years in education. She received her bachelor’s degree in education in 2001. She has worked as a classroom teacher, coordinator, academic director, RELO mentor and collaborator on international projects, and learning facilitator for the iEARN platform. She enjoys teaching over various platforms (i.e. Skype, Skype-a-thons).
She brings over 15 years of experience as a presenter, public speaker, lecturer, workshop facilitator, and doing voice overs. She also has more than 15 years of experience with the breaking down classroom walls project. She has more than 10 years of experience in educational development and instruction, including curriculum and lesson plan development, lesson instruction, and evaluation of educational outcomes. Additionally, she has a background in educational business structure and is adept at making learning the English language approachable and achievable for both adult and child learners.
Suzan Negm brings a deep passion for English language education and leadership, demonstrated by years of service to the profession and many honors. She obtained her Master's in English Language and Literature in 2008. In 2018, she was awarded the Fundamentals of English Language Teaching (FELT) scholarship at the American University in Cairo (AUC) from RELO Cairo. In 2019, she was selected to participate in the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievements Program (FTEA) in the USA. During the FTEA program, her presentation was selected to represent the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMASS Lowell) in the end of program workshops in Washington.
She has been declared a top performer in two OPEN courses. She was also nominated by RELO Cairo to participate in an EL Specialist Virtual Training - Project-Based Learning and Inquiry-Based Learning course, and TESOL 6 Principles. She was an EFL Teacher and the Academic Counsellor at Menofia STEM School. Then in 2021, she was promoted to be the Menofia STEM School Deputy Principal. She has a graduate diploma in Educational Leadership from the American University in Cairo (AUC) and was named OPEN Community Lead in 2023. She is currently furthering her studies in a PhD program.
We are so thankful to these leaders for sharing their time and expertise, and we look forward to learning from them. Stay tuned to learn about country representatives from other areas!
Stacy Brown is a trauma and policy specialist and international emergency case worker, currently serving in the U.S. and 58 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Additionally, she serves as an EL administrator in Oklahoma. She has served in leadership for TESOL International Association and affiliates for 16 years and volunteers with multiple local and international organizations dedicated to protecting and advocating for forcibly displaced families.