Marwa Shantir is Director at the Excellence Center in Hebron Palestine, and has been instrumental in providing her years of experience and dedication to this vital role. Marwa originally studied Islamic Law at Hebron University, graduating with her Bachelor’s Degree in 2013.

Describing her education, Marwa tells us, “I was choosing between three subjects: Arabic, History or Islamic Law and I chose Islamic Law because I wanted to know more about my religion.” She adds, “My mother really supported me in studying this subject.” Marwa found her formal studies fascinating, but adds that in addition to her schooling, she learned many things outside the classroom – things that others in her community did not know.

Marwa’s first job after graduation was at the Excellence Center, founded by her brother Rafat Shantir in 2011. She began her training as volunteer and, within a year, became secretary at the center. Amazingly she explains, “when I came to the Excellence Center I didn’t speak any English. Even if someone said, ‘what is your name?’, I had to have Rafat translate for me.”

Finally in 2015, Marwa became a director at the center, taking the title of Center Coordinator. In this primary role, she coordinates the international volunteers’ visits/stays, including their work and class schedules. She oversees employee hiring for the center. Marwa also builds the public class schedule for the center and is in charge of the intake process for local Palestinians looking to study English here.

Each year an average of seventy-five internationals came to volunteer with the Excellence Center which, as Marwa adds, “is so important because in [local] schools no one learns to speak [the language effectively].” Marwa tells us she loves, “talking with all the internationals and learning about their cultures [as] before I didn’t know anything about European or American culture.” She is also grateful for the improvement of her own English skills.

In addition, Marwa assumes the role as one of the Arabic teachers working with volunteers. “I teach a lot of internationals and they are very interesting to teach, …When I see them speaking Arabic, I am so, so happy!” She enjoys filling her early morning and late afternoon free time with these teaching responsibilities. Marwa particularly loves working with students who are complete beginners with little or no Arabic experience and witnessing their progress day by day.

In the future, Marwa hopes to travel, “everywhere.” intending to do so extensively. She is confident that her skills of, “patience, sensitivity and teaching” which she has gained from the Excellence Center will help her accomplish these and other future goals.

Even as a young child, Marwa had always wanted to be a teacher. And, while after high school, she had to decide between Arabic studies and Islamic Law, she appears today – through her studies and her work at Excellence Center – to have realized all these hopes and engaged each of these interests: She has a four-year degree in Islamic Law, she teaches Arabic language skills and she is the director of a language center. Marwa is truly a bright and positive pillar in the work we do at the Excellence Center, and we are truly fortunate to have her as director.