When did you join Grok?
September 2025
Describe yourself in three words.
Open-minded. Analytical. Patient.
What were you doing before working at Grok?
As a lifelong learner, I’ve naturally spent my professional career in education. After studying and teaching overseas, I fully caught the international education ‘bug’ and have had opportunities to work as an advisor and program administrator for students from Libya and Saudi Arabia, as well as supporting first-year foundation programs at several US universities. More recently, my roles have been focused on admissions and operations, and I led teams at ApplyBoard and Study Group, working closely with our institutional partners to achieve recruitment outcomes through streamlined processes and data-driven insights.
What was your first job (in education or otherwise)?
A bibliophile from the start, in high school I worked as a page at our local library – mostly reshelving books. I spent enough time in the stacks that at one point, I had memorized most of the Dewey Decimal System classifications
What does international education mean for you?
International education is a win for everyone involved – students, families, employers, organizations, economies. Particularly when acting intentionally and ethically, organizations that enable international and cross-cultural exchanges and experiences have a transformative effect on individuals, the host community and the home community.
What is one of the most satisfying professional outcomes you’ve achieved?
With a leadership style that trends towards servant leadership, seeing the professional achievement and advancements of those I’ve mentored is deeply rewarding.
What is your favorite book or movie?
A near-impossible question, so I’ll stick with some that have resonated with me in the past year or two – East of Eden (Steinbeck), Homegoing (Gyasi), The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida (Karunatilaka), The Reformatory (Due)
What is your dream travel destination? Why?
I particularly enjoy visiting places with a diversity of ecosystems and cultures/histories – I’d love to visit countries like Morocco, Turkey, Indonesia.
What is your favourite food to eat with friends?
Mezze, by a mile – typically leaning towards Levantine/Turkish dishes.
What is something you’ve learned from somebody inspirational?
This is a bit of paraphrasing from Kurt Vonnegut’s uncle, but one of my favorite life reminders is to notice and appreciate the moments when you feel joy – particularly those which are simpler, otherwise forgotten. He says – “I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, ‘If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.’”
What was your favourite subject at high school or university?
My high school journalism class was the first class I had that both deeply challenged me to improve as a writer and pushed me out of my comfort zone as an introvert to connect with complete strangers for stories.
