Basma Alawee
I teach not for the income, but for the outcome. That’s what my parent always said. They’ve been teaching for 45 years and taught me how to teach. I am a middle school teacher at TFA. I came from Iraq in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Material Engineering from Baghdad Technical College. My own experience of arriving in the United States has made me keenly aware of the issues refugees face. It was very difficult to leave the security of my career (Material Engineer with the Ministry of Oil), home and family, but due to the war I needed to start fresh. My flexible nature, resilient determination and self-motivation served me well as I made this transition. As I learned how to find a job, secure housing and complete all of the necessary paper work, I realized that these tasks are difficult for many refugees. I began to volunteer and help refugees at several organizations such as World Relief and Lutheran Social Services. My work with refugees grew to the point that I was selected as a delegate of Florida at the UNHCR Refugee Congress in December of 2013. My love of children and math led me to teach at TFA. I love introducing my students to my passion of math and science as well as organizing them to volunteer with newly arrived refugees.