MEET OUR MENTORS

Meet our mentors!

Mrs. Natalia Benjamin

I grew up in Guatemala and taught multilingual students at Century High School for 7 years. I am currently the Coordinator for Multilingual Learning for Rochester Public Schools. My home language is Spanish and I also speak French from attending a French school K-12. In my free time, I enjoy nature walks, dancing, gardening, and reading. I want to be involved in this program because I believe in the power that our youth have to make a positive impact on their community, and mentoring is a great way to learn from each other as we all share our journeys in language learning.

Joud Haj Sakor

Marhba! I am Joud but pronounced as Jude. I am from Syria, I was born in the Emirates and my childhood was both in Syria and the UAE. My mother tongue is Arabic and my family and I immigrated to the US seven years ago. I was in the ESL program for 3 1⁄2 years at Rochester Public Schools. I am currently a first year student at the University of Minnesota - Rochester striving to obtain my Bachelors of Science in Health Sciences on a pre-medical track. I enjoy baking, writing Arabic and English poetry, and biking. I am a very firm believer in mentorship and therefore I was inspired to create this program because I was once an English learner and I know how daunting and challenging the process can be. This makes me feel accountable to help and encourage our English learner students who need me as I want to be a helping hand to carve out their future and provide them as much mentoring as I poissibly can.

Guydan Haj Sakor

Hi! My name is Guydan! I am originally from Syria and my native language is Arabic. I’m currently a third year majoring in Aerospace engineering and mechanics and also minoring in Astrophysics at the University of Minnesota -Twin Cities and I am involved in the American institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. I graduated from Century High School where I was also a part of the ESL program for three years. I have a deep passion and love for airplanes, I also enjoy traveling and trying out new food from cultures. I wanted to be involved in this program and serve as a mentor because I struggled a lot throughout high school while also trying to learn a new language. Therefore I want to give my support and share my journey to the students and help them thrive in their journey to become a successful student.

Yousef Haj Sakor

Hello! My name is Yousef. I was born and raised in Syria and I speak Arabic and French. I am a graduate from Winona State University with a bachelors in Biochemistry. Currently, I am preparing to attend medical school as it is my future aspirations. I am a clinical lab technologist in the Mayo Clinic Infectious Disease Serology Laboratory, and I am a volunteer at the Mayo Clinic Volunteer Programs. I enjoy math a lot as I participated in the Syrian Math Olympiad and I am passionate about formula 1. I needed a lot of help in navigating the education system when I moved to the US however I was blessed to have had a community that provided me with that help. I want to pay back the community that helped me and serve as a mentor for the English learner students throughout their highschool career.

Rayan Haj Sakor

Hi! My name is Rayan. I was born in Syria and raised in the UAE and my native tongue is Arabic. I am a third year mechanical engineering student at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. I am a Century High School alumni and I was a part of their ESL program for almost all of my high school career. My hobbies include watching and playing soccer. I want to be a part of this program because there are many amazing people that helped me during my journey and I believe that this program will allow me to give back to my community and create a culture of helping others. I look forward to learning more about you and your unique story!

Samsam Ali

Hi! My name is Samsam! I am ethnically Somali, born in Minnesota, and grew up in London, and Birmingham, UK. I studied at Century High School during my Junior and Senior years. Now I attend St Olaf College, studying towards my Neuroscience, and family studies concentrations. I love learning languages and am currently studying Chinese. 我爱睡觉. "I love to sleep!" I love to read fantasy, and romance novels, watch movies with friends, and be socially active. When my social batteries are low; I love to ponder, daydream, journal, and spend time with myself. Growing up, I was someone who struggled academically, and was not aware of the resources that I had to succeed. I loved learning and reading books, but was overwhelmed with how I studied, how I learned, and How do I succeed in an exam? People who grew up in resources can answer these questions, but for many people, and for many reasons, these resources are not made available to us. Through being a mentor, I hope to break these barriers that hinder the success of bright, and talented individuals. I can't wait to start working, and meet our amazing Mentees!

Maher Ahmed

Hello! My name is Mahir and I was born and raised in Yemen. I speak Arabic, Somali, and Bahasa, which is an Indonesian language. Sadly I am not fluent in Bahasa as I used to, mainly because I have not used it in the past 8 years. I am a third year college student in WSU-Rochester studying Computer Science. I am also a graduate from Century High School as are many of the mentors who are also participating in Empowered to Succeed Mentorship. I have participated in this mentorship program because I know how it feels when you are new in the USA. Also for those who are about to graduate, I know how difficult it is to make these major decisions that will affect one’s life journey. All of us mentors have been in the same shoes as you in our high school journeys and I believe we mentors have a lot to share with you.

Diana Benitez

I am currently a student at the University of Minnesota Rochester majoring in health science on the pre-med track. I am half Mexican and half Cuban, speaking both English and Spanish. Being a first generation student, I struggled a lot navigating the education system. I lacked crucial skills necessary for academic success, such as the confidence to join clubs, ask for help, and advocate for myself. I would love to provide guidance and support to minorities who are currently enduring the same struggles as I did on their academic journey.

Heidi Nguyen

Chào mọi người! Em là Heidi Nguyen. I am a Vietnamese-American college student residing in Minnesota and I currently study at the University of Minnesota-Rochester. I am pursuing a degree in Health Sciences along with Mathematics. I speak Vietnamese and love being involved in my Vietnamese culture. I do speak a little French but I wouldn’t rely on my French speaking skills… (lol!) I love meeting new people and I am always available if you need to talk! That is why I want to be a mentor. Sometimes struggling doesn’t have to be about academics but it could be mentally or emotionally. Having someone to listen to is the best feeling in the world and I want to provide that because everyone deserves to be heard with their own voice.

Madina Bahur

Hi, my name is Madina. I was born in Somalia and lived in Ethiopia for a few years. I speak Somali/English. I am a full-time student from RCTC/Rochester Winona University. I am doing my BSW degree (Bachelor of Social Work). Mental health is an important topic for me which is why I am pursuing to become a therapist in the future but I'm indecisive about what population I want to work with. Aside from school, I work with children. I am a preschool teacher. In my free time, I like to watch my favorite series, read, or hang out with my friends. I am so excited to be part of this. I was also once in ESL classes in my high school years. This gives me the privilege to understand and feel for what ESL students go through. Very excited to make new friends and help one another on this journey.

Nora Ahmed

Hello, my name is Nora. I am a senior at WSU-Rochester studying Social Work. I graduated high school from Century. I was part of the EL program during my high school journey. I still recall the first time I was in the Newcomers class and how broke my English was. However, through learning, growing, and experiencing things is what helped me to become who I am today. I choose the social work and therapy path as my career because I love helping others and leaving an impact is my dream. Planning to continue my Master degree and open my own therapy practice. Since I have interest in relationships and families, I plan to dedicate my therapy to those families and couples who are struggling to maintain healthy relationships. I was born in Yemen and lived in Indonesia for four years. My mother language is Arabic, but I also speak Somali. My hobbies include acrylic painting, biking/riding motorcycles, and trying new activities/experiences for fun. Fun fact about me, I got my motorcycle license in the summer of 2022. I am excited to start this mentorship and get to meet new students and to learn more about them.

Mansour Diop

I am Mansour Diop, I currently attend the University of Minnesota - Rochester. I’m a second year student majoring in health science with a pre-med focus. I grew up in Senegal with my grandparents, so I speak Wolof and French. I love playing and watching soccer, I also enjoy traveling to explore other parts of the world. Coming to this country without knowing how to speak the language was very hard. I would love to help students currently learning English to make their journey easier.

Maher Al Zuhairi

Hi, my name is Maher. I was born and raised in Iraq. I also lived in Jordan, Minnesota, and now I am living in Texas. My first language is Arabic. I graduated from Century high School about 4 years ago. Now I am a 3rd year pre dental student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. I am double majoring in biology and psychology and minoring in neuroscience and Arabic. I also work as an Arabic tutor in my school. I love reading and learning about assyriology, history, cultures and ancient mythologies. I also enjoy video gaming and watching movies. I was once in the EL program at Century High School; it was a life-changing experience for me. Now, I am very happy to be back on the same boat. I am excited to meet EL students and be part of their journy!

Kashif Kanwa

Ahmed Ahmed

Hi everyone, my name is Ahmed. I was born and raised in Iraq and moved to the United States in the end of 2015, and since then I have been living in Texas. My first language is Kurdish, I also speak Arabic as I finished my highschool in Baghdad. I’m currently a senior student at Southern Methodist University, majoring in Human Rights and International Studies, and minoring in Women’s and Gender Studies, Law and Legal Reasoning and Arabic. As an ESL student I have gone through all the process of learning the language, it was not easy but also not impossible to overcome it. If I make it, then everyone else can make it, and I will be more than happy to help if anyone needs me. I love biking and I enjoy my cup of coffee every morning.

Mira Ratrout

Hello! My name is Mira Ratrout (pronounced M-ee-ra Rat-root), I am originally from Palestine and Syria, however, I was born in Saudi Arabia. Minnesota’s been Arabic and English, and I have been wanting to learn a new language for a while now. I am currently a senior in High school doing Full-time PSEO at the a minor in business law. I love to read, write, learn new things, travel, and difficult it can be to adjust to a different culture and environment all while learning/speaking a new language. I hope to help and support students in looking forward to meeting the mentees and supporting them in all their endeavors! 🙂

Mariam Al-Anii

Ahlan! My name is Mariam. My native language is Arabic. I am Iraqi but grew up in Minnesota. My family recently moved to Rochester where I attended Century High School as a Junior. I am currently a rising Senior and a first year full time PSEO student at the University of Minnesota Rochester studying for my BSHS on a pre-medical track. I enjoy spending time with my parents and siblings, going on outdoor walks, and baking delicious sweets!

Through many friends, I realized that learning a new language is hard and can sometimes distract students from having fun with friends, socializing, or taking advantage of things like clubs and PSEO. My goal is to be a support system, an advisor and a friend to hopefully take some load off their plates as they focus on living life in the moment and their real goals and aspirations! I am sure I can learn lots from my mentees too

CONTACT US

Reach out to us at info@empoweredsucceed.com with any inquiries