Umme Salma

Principal

M.Ed. Educational Leadership – Santa Clara University, California

Director Certification/Training – Foothill College & Stanford, California

Umme has over ten years of teaching and administrative experience from the Bay Area in California. She is a dynamic instructional leader with an enduring passion to help children reach their full potential not just academically, but also socially, emotionally, and physically. A lifelong learner at heart, she is always encouraged to stay current with the best practices in education in areas like brain-compatible learning, project-based learning, differentiated instruction, emotional intelligence, and constructivism. Umme is a bibliophile of sorts with a passion for traveling.

Alice Whitt

Assistant Principal & Lead Teacher Language Arts

Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Master’s degree in Special Education, Sonoma State University

Master’s degree in Education Administration, San Francisco State University.

Alice has over thirteen years of credentialed teaching experience working in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has been teaching English Language Arts for grade levels K-8 since 2005. She uses a variety of strategies including phonics-based instruction, academic vocabulary programs, writers’ workshop, project-based learning, and more whole-language style instructional practices. She specializes in working with children with unique learning challenges such as autism, ADHD, and specific learning disabilities. She has extensive experience designing effective academic interventions (RTI Response to Intervention) for students spanning grade levels Pre-K to 8th grade. She loves instruction that includes project-based learning, differentiated instruction, art, technology, science, music, and field trips.

Her hobbies include painting and drawing, grant writing, learning about history, travel, live comedy, and attending music events.

Dorcas Geddam

Head of Human Resources

B.A. Hotel Management Academic & HR – Osmania University

M.B.A. Human Resource Management & Information Technology – ISBM University

Ms. Geddam brings to the table her vast repertoire of running and managing highly successful corporate companies and has more than 7 years experience in human resource management & administration. She is responsible for coordinating the hiring of our faculty and staff, as well as the performance of staff.  She oversees all management operations.

Her passions are music (keyboards and composing), drawing, crafts, and writing blogs about her experience to share her ideas to inspire women. She believes that “creativity requires an idea to be realistic, possible, and yet still different.”

Farzana

Executive Assistant to Principal

B.S. Mathematics – Osmania University

Ms. Fara has over 6 years of experience in various financial organizations such as Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, and HSBC in critical roles like Credit card fraud detection department, technical operations and banking services. Later she moved into retail business and worked in Himatsingka Wovens Pvt. Ltd. as an Assistant Manager. She is passionate towards her work, friendly and sensitive to the needs of other people. Her personal interests are listening to music, adventure travel, hiking and swimming.

Jennifer

Co-Teacher Physical & Health Education

Sebastian Thomas

Lead Teacher Physical & Health Education

BPE and MPE from Kerala University
Diploma in Coaching/Athletics – National Institute of Sports

Mr. Sebastian has 4 years’ experience as an educator. He has served as an Assistant Professor, IB teacher, and as a Track and Field coach. He has worked with students ranging from the primary through the university level. He is well versed with best practice to develop the fine motor skills and game specific skills through fun activities and games.

Khadidja

Lead Teacher French

Masters in Geotechnical, Engineering University of Sciences and Technology of Houari Boumedien Diploma in French, French Embassy

Khadidja has 5 years of experience as a teacher in Algeria as well as in India at an International school. She worked with students from different levels. She loves to see her students speak their first words in French and step by step master the language. She works hard to make her students evolve and speak the language fluently. She really believes that the best way of learning is to learn and play at the same time in order to make it interesting. Khadidja is passionate about learning and loves to pass on this passion to her students. She believes that nothing impacts the world more than education. She is interested in drawing and writing poetry.

Carla Perez Ruiz

Lead Teacher Spanish

Infant Education Degree – University of Navarra
Pedagogy Degree – University of Navarra

Ms. Carla has 4 years of experience teaching in Spain and at international schools in India.  She has worked with students ranging from elementary through the university level.  Her experience and training include special needs education, including autism and ADHD. Her passion towards education is to bring a healthy and positive classroom environment where the students feel confident and motivated to learn. She loves to watch children develop their knowledge and skills connecting with different cultures.

Monika Sardana

Lead Teacher Science

Bachelor’s degree in Science, Delhi University

Monika comes with 19+ years of experience including international experience in UK and Singapore. Her international experiences include teaching and planning in schools to deliver the IB and Cambridge curricula. She holds several IB and Cambridge certifications including CIDTT certification. She is a strong believer of experiential learning, which helps students to apply the concepts in the real world. She believes that the students need to partner with the teacher in their quest for knowledge. Her interests include travelling, exploring and studying different cultures.

Jerusha Nelson

Co-Teacher Parent-Toddler & Playgroup

B.Sc. Biotechnology from Osmania University India

Diploma in French from Alliance Française 

Ms. Jerusha taught French for six years at the college level and then moved into the cooperate world where she worked as a Customer Service Executive at HSBC before joining NYA. She decided to go back into teaching because she knows the value of education and its impact on children. “Working with children and seeing how they learn and grow each day proves that I made the right decision.” This career path is one of the best choices I have made. Apart from working with children, my other passions are baking and reading.

Anjum Zia

Co-Lead Teacher Nursery

B.A. Education – Osmania University

Early Childhood Educator Certification – Setwin

Ms.Anjum has 10 years of experience as an early childhood educator. She has taught at several international schools in Hyderabad and Qatar. Her passion for painting, art and crafts enhances her creative skills. She has exceptional rapport with students, which is greatly valued by the New York Academy School Community.

Nusrath Sultana

Lead Teacher Nursery

Bachelors in Math, Statistics and Computer Science, Osmania University

Nusrath comes with 6 years of experience in education. She holds certification in Montessori from IMTTI and Multiple Intelligences. She has worked on various curriculums and is well versed with Early Childhood Education. She believes in celebrating uniqueness in each child. She plans to bring in the best learning practices to her classroom with lots of hard work and enthusiasm.

Anita Goli

Lead Teacher Nursery

B.A. Engineering in Electronics and Communication – U.B.D.T.College of Engineering, Davanagere, Karnataka

Ms. Anita has 7 years of teaching experience at several prestigious schools in Hyderabad. Teaching is her absolute passion. She has taught kids from pre-kindergarten to grade 7. She loves to teach children and support their social and emotional growth to build the right attitude and character for their future.  She arrives to school every day ready to make learning fun.  

Kalpana Duvvuri

Co-Lead Teacher PreSchool

B.A. Fashion Design – National Institute of Fashion Technology

Ms. Kalpana Duvvuri has five years of teaching experience in the international schools in Hyderabad.

Her professional interest includes lesson planning and curriculum development. Her passions include researching and teaching Biblical spiritual discourse and engaging in church activities.

Ghazala

Lead Teacher PreSchool

Bachelor of Arts in Child and Social Psychology, Osmania University

Ghazala has three years of teaching experience at two prestigious preschools. She is passionate about both teaching and learning. Her motto is to focus on every child’s emotional and social development apart from the academic growth. She strongly believes that children learn better when they have fun and hence incorporates play in learning. Apart from teaching, Ghazala enjoys reading and engaging in DIY projects.

Sridevi Solomon

Co-Teacher PreSchool

 B.A. St.Francis College

Montessori Certification

Sridevi joins NYA with over 18 years teaching experience.  She has experience in the UK, U.S., and Singapore.  She has a passion for educational approaches that recognize the importance of the social and emotional growth of students.

Anjum Fatima

Lead Teacher PreSchool

B.S., B.Ed.  Mathematics/Physical Science – Osmania University

M.A. Early Childhood Education – Bharti Vidyalaya College of Education and Training

Advance Diploma in Montessori Infant/Toddler – American Montessori Society

Mrs. Anjum is a charismatic Nursery lead teacher. She has a special way with this great age group that balances the learning and fun. She has been in the child development field for more than 10 years. Her artistic side remains an integral part of her teaching. She strongly believes in “learning through play,” which makes her class child centered, creative and fun. She is thrilled to be able to live out her passion at New York Academy.  In her free time, her passions are dance, travel, and spending time with her family and friends.

Tahoora Ahsan (Sofie)

Co-Lead Teacher PreKindergarten

Montessori Certification – American Montessori Society

Ms. Sofie brings 5 years of experience in early childhood education.  She served as a lead teacher at Vivero International School, Hyderabad before joining New York Academy. Miss. Sofie is a dedicated, ambitious and goal educator and she believes in incorporating and encouraging intellectual, social development along with effective communication. With her enthusiastic personality, exuberant sense of humor, and an ability to enhance student performance, she is passionate to guide students to shape a better world by empowering them with knowledge. Her personal passion is art.

Shamsi Munawar

Lead Teacher PreKindergarten

Bachelor of Arts in Literature, St. Francis College

Shamsi has been in the education field for over 6 years. She has been working as a pre-primary facilitator at international schools. Prior to working at NYA, she worked as a Centre Head at one of the pre-schools in Hyderbad. Her motto in life is that everything is possible as long as one believes in oneself and is willing to work hard and persevere. She believes in encouraging and motivating the students to evolve and express their own perspectives and thereby enabling experiential and inclusive learning. Her interests are travelling, baking, abstract art and movies.

Sanubar

Co-Lead Teacher PreKindergarten

Diploma in Early Childhood Education

Sanubar has an experience of 6 years in teaching. She was also part of toastmasters club in Dubai. She is extremely passionate about children and can easily gel with them at their level. She loves singing and dancing.

Sakina Razvi

Lead Teacher PreKindergarten

B.A. English Literature, History and Politic Science – Osmania University

B.A. Education Diploma Program – Sheridan College, Canada

Sakina Razvi has 15 years of teaching experience. She has served students with special needs and has extensive experience as a kindergarten teacher, which includes working in Canada. Her professional background with kids of all age groups and special needs, and different learning disabilities has given her the skills and insights to effectively differentiate and individualize instruction. Her passions include reading and writing poetry, and “Story Time” is one of her favorite part of the day with students! She takes pride in her ability to support the social, emotional, and academic growth of each child, and inspiring children to explore, discover, and learn.  

Simona Philip

Co-Teacher Kindergarten

Professional Certification for Teachers and Trainers – Cambridge International. Teacher Training Certification – CLE, USA.

Simona has over 4 years of teaching experience. She has taught at International schools in Gurgaon. She has a well-rounded experience in Primary Years Program (PYP ) and Cambridge curriculum. She is passionate about teaching and has a genuine love for children and helps them learn and develop to their full potential. With her creative, organisational and language skills, she provides a happy, safe and positive learning environment to the children. She loves music and has a lovely voice as a professional singer. She loves to travel and bake.

Indira Mahendarkar (Indu)

Lead Teacher Kindergarten

B.S., B.Ed. & M.S. – Osmania University

B.A. Education and Management – College of Birmingham

Ms. Indu has 13 years of experience teaching in the U.S. and in independent international schools.  She has worked with students ranging from elementary through the university level.  Her experience and training includes Montessori and progressive education. Her passion towards education is to bring the best and most innovative practices to the classroom environment. She loves to watch children learn, develop, and progress holistically, while applying their knowledge and skills to real world challenges.

Suganya Devinsha G

Specialist Teacher

M.Phil Microbiology from Bharathiyar University, Coimbatore

She has worked 5 years as a Senior Microbiologist at Shifa Al-Jazeera
Medical Center, Kuwait and has 1 year experience as a lecturer at
Catherine Booth School and College of Nursing, Tamilnadu, India.

Teaching was always a profession she admired and respected. Having taken
tuitions and lectures during college days, she has worked with different
age groups from middle school to university level. Her interests include
road trips, travelling, exploring and studying different cultures. She
is a certified scuba diver. She also enjoys reading and writing. She has
published her Masters Research paper on International journal
pharmacognosy and herbal formulations. She is also a professional Artist
who explores different mediums for her paintings.

Hela Nasri

Co-Lead Teacher Language Arts Elementary

Diploma on American and British Literature, Civilisation and Linguistics

Hela has two certificates from the American Ambassador. She worked with students from all levels. Hela’s aim is to make students learn through play by making lessons interesting. Hela strives to teach her students through games and activities. She can speak three languages fluently which are English, French and Arabic. Hela is fond of reading and writing because it enables a person to travel through their imagination.

Julie Many de Meza

Lead Teacher Math & Instructional Coach

Bachelor’s degree in Science, Michigan State University

Master’s degree in Secondary Education, University of Alabama

Julie has over thirty years of teaching experience in Science and Mathematics, with 30 of those years in international schools located in the Caribbean, Latin America and China. Her international experiences include teaching and leading the Mathematics Departments in those schools to deliver the U.S. and Cambridge curriculums. She emphasizes the learning of Mathematics and Science through experiential learning and authentic tasks so that children understand that the concepts taught in class carry over into the real world. She is passionate about Mathematics and tries to instil that love of Mathematics in her students by challenging their logic and reasoning skills.