PHOTO: Sereen Shamali has been an integral part of the Seeds of Hope school for many years and is now the Kindergarten principal.
When we talk about the loving, supportive environment of Seeds of Hope, we usually focus on the children and families in our community. But we want the same to be true of our staff as well.
When Sereen first came to work at Seeds of Hope almost twelve years ago, it was her first full-time job. She was hesitant to take on too much responsibility, but her supervisor knew she could do more. “They saw potential in me that I didn’t necessarily see in myself,” she recalls. “The encouragement from my coworkers and leaders at Seeds of Hope was the catapult to help me trust in myself. I started to believe that I could do great things!”
Over time, Sereen became our Kindergarten Principal, with several teachers and staff members under her leadership. As people in the community saw her growth and capabilities, she even started to get job offers to teach and lead at local schools. “They would come to me and offer me jobs, telling me there was no need for an interview. I could be hired on the spot,” Sereen said. “But I decline their offers without hesitation. Seeds of Hope is my place. I will only leave to retire!”
Our support and dedication toward our teachers go beyond the workplace. We are a family. This was put on full display when Sereen tragically lost her husband last year.
Without warning, she was left to care for her four children alone. “I felt the weight on my shoulders,” she remembered. “I knew I had to carry everything for my family now. Emotionally, financially… it was all on me.”
PHOTO: Sereen and her son, one of four of her children who she hopes will complete their college degrees.
Three of Sereen’s children were currently in college when they lost their father. It was Sereen’s dream that all her children would complete college, but with her family in mourning and her finances more uncertain than ever, she wasn’t sure if that was still possible. “I wanted my kids to have the stability as individuals that I was never really able to have,” she said. “When my husband passed, I knew I was going to have to forfeit that dream.”
But the last thing the leadership of Seeds of Hope wanted was for Sereen to feel alone or to have to give up on her dreams for her family. Our staff rallied around her to help her through the loss and found a way to provide a financial gift to cover half of the cost of college for all four of her kids—enough that they would all be able to finish their studies.
“She immediately started crying from joy and gratitude,” remembered Khader Ghanim, Seeds of Hope CEO. “Sereen is family. I have seen her poring all she has into the children here and her colleagues. We’re so grateful for her loyalty and passion.”
“When I became a widow, I was broken. But Seeds of Hope made it possible for me to get through it and hold on to my dreams.”
–Sereen Shamali, Seeds of Hope Kindergarten Principal
Sereen is just one example of the high-caliber staff that sets Seeds of Hope apart from other schools. Not only in her abilities as a teacher and administrator but in her embodiment of our mission and core values, Sereen is shaping the next generation in Jericho.
