Welcoming Our Fall 2017 Interns!

International Interns Tallin, Niamh, Katherine, and Sally.

Introducing the Fall 2017 Intern team! 4 international interns from the United States, Ireland, and England have been selected to lead English classes with children and youth. Read all about them!

Tallin

Tallin grew up right outside of Washington D.C, in Takoma Park, Maryland. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Linguistics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in a rather unorthodox fashion. While obtaining her university degree, Tallin lived in Nicaragua, Turkey, Chile and Slovenia. While in Nicaragua, Tallin discovered her passion for linguistics and learned Spanish. She then turned her love of languages into a career choice by teaching English in Istanbul, Turkey. After a year of teaching, she returned to school in Alaska for a year and then headed off to Slovenia for an internship and to complete her studies online.

Tallin joined the TYO intern team because it seemed like the perfect opportunity to use her past professional experience, gain new knowledge by working with a widely recognized NGO, and learn about a new culture and group of people.

Niamh

Niamh grew up in the west of Ireland. She moved to Dublin to complete an undergraduate degree in Medical Research and obtained a Master’s degree in Humanitarian Action in the Netherlands. Niamh became interested in Palestine at the age of 16 when she traveled to the area to attend a summer course on conflict resolution. The community-focused approach that TYO takes towards its work and the love and appreciation that is felt by local people really drew her towards TYO originally in Spring 2017 and again for the Fall session. She is excited to be back in such a positive environment and is really looking forward to working with the people of Nablus and the organization once more, doing some good work, and having a bit of fun in the process.

Katherine

Katherine is originally from the northern suburbs of Chicago. After earning her BA in Religion with focus on Middle Eastern Studies from St. Olaf College in 2012, she completed a two-year MA in Religion with focus on Women and Gender Studies at Yale University. She spent the next two years working at a women’s empowerment center in rural Morocco, doing foreign policy work in DC, teaching humanities and literature at an all-girls school in Jordan, and doing humanitarian work with Syrian, Iraqi, and Afghan refugees in Greece. Inspired by these experiences, she recently earned her Ed.M. in International Education Policy from Harvard University with a focus on child protection and education in crisis and conflict settings.

Katherine is excited to gain field experience working on refugee education programs with the TYO team. She sees this as a wonderful opportunity to learn more about education in conflict, further develop her Arabic and other professional skills, and deepen her understanding about the region’s culture, history, and people.

Sally

Sally grew up in Liverpool, England, before moving to Nottingham to complete her Bachelor’s degree in Management Studies and French. She spent a year in Bordeaux, France as part of her undergraduate degree, where she realized her love for learning about other cultures and the importance of this for both personal and community development. After graduating, she bought a one-way ticket to Martinique in the Caribbean, where she explored a new culture, made great friendships, and discovered her unwavering desire to work in development. A voluntary placement in Senegal with Y Care International, the international relief agency of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), left Sally with a strong commitment to do more. On her return to England she undertook a Master’s degree in International Development with emphasis on Development Management, in Manchester, which she finished in August 2017.

While in Manchester, Sally enjoyed Arabic lessons with a local non-profit organization that provides community support for Syrian people. She saw the difference language and culture exchange can make to overcome social barriers and build communities. Now that she has completed her studies, she can’t wait to take up the fantastic opportunity with TYO, and hopefully play a part in contributing to the Nablus community.

Welcome to TYO!