Advancing Student Success Through Educational Leadership, Career Guidance & Social Emotional Learning, 2026
Education is most powerful when it looks beyond academic achievement and recognizes the individual behind every student. Hamza Fayyaz Madni represents this understanding through a professional journey shaped by educational leadership, career guidance, social emotional learning, and a deep commitment to student wellbeing.
On Cover
Hamza Fayyaz Madni
Assistant Phase Lead & Academic & Career Guidance Counsellor
As a student himself, he observed something that stayed with him: how a teacher’s genuine care and guidance could fundamentally alter the character of a child. Not just their grades or their behavior, but who they were becoming as a person. That observation planted a conviction that has driven every professional decision since. Education, in his understanding, is not simply the transfer of knowledge. It is the formation of character, the nurturing of responsible human beings who can contribute meaningfully to the world around them.
Dareen Tawil
Educational Consultant, Global Advisor and Strategist. Founder & CEO of EMPOWER Rise Above(ERA)
Long before any formal position confirmed what those around her could already see, Dareen was drawn to the work of empowerment. Supporting individuals in reaching their potential, creating positive ripple effects within communities, and building something that outlasted her direct involvement were not ambitions she developed over time. They were simply who she was. When a mentor recognized that in 2010 and encouraged her to step into educational leadership, it was less a turning point than a confirmation.
Rania Abdelfattah Obeid
STEM Director, Educational Consultant & Research Scholar
In a world where education systems struggle to keep pace with technological advancement and societal needs, Rania Abdelfattah Obeid stands as a beacon of transformative change. Her journey from a curious educator to a globally recognized STEM advocate represents more than professional growth; it embodies a mission to revolutionize how we prepare students for a future that demands both technical proficiency and purposeful innovation.
Najwa Saba ‘Ayon Fares
Professor & Academic Coordinator | EFL and Intercultural Communication Specialist Rafik Hariri University, Lebanon | EdD, University of Sussex | UNESCO Story Circle Trainer
Before she stood in front of university students in Lebanon, before she earned her Doctorate in Education from the University of Sussex, before she became a professor, curriculum reformer, UNESCO Story Circle trainer, and advocate for ethical AI integration in higher education, Najwa Saba ‘Ayon Fares was lining up her dolls and teaching them English. She would explain vocabulary, correct imaginary errors, and picture herself in front of a classroom. What looked like childhood play was, in retrospect, the earliest expression of a vocation she has spent her entire career living out with rigour, warmth, and an ever-deepening conviction about what education is truly for.
Dr. Kavitha Rathinam
Math Educator | Orangeburg County School District
In the landscape of education, some of the most transformative teachers never planned to enter a classroom. Dr. Kavitha Rathinam’s story begins not with childhood dreams of teaching, but with a complete redirection of life’s compass. Like many Indian families, hers envisioned a future in medicine. Yet in 2014, what began as simply securing employment evolved into something far more profound.
