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ILI

The International Language Institute of Massachusetts (ILI) promotes intercultural understanding and diverse communities by providing high-quality language instruction and teacher training.

Syonara Tomoum

Syonara Tomoum started teaching Arabic as a foreign language at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, in 2007.  Since then, she has also taught at International House Cairo, AMIDEAST Cairo, and Northeastern University Summer Program in Cairo.  When she moved to the US in 2016, she taught Arabic and Media Arabic at NYU, then moved to Western Mass in June 2017 to work for a full academic year at Mount Holyoke College and UMASS Amherst.  She has also taught a winter term on Arabic and Culture at Brooks High School, and at the Center of Arabic Culture in Somerville.
Syonara is a native Egyptian who started her career as a journalist and obtained her first MA degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the American University in Cairo in 2007.  She has worked as a translator and interpreter for the Washington Post, while writing for a major publication in Egypt. Her fascination with Arabic and teaching soon shifted her career, and she received a graduate degree in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language in 2011, then followed it with an MA in the field a couple of years later from the American University in Cairo as well. Both of her MA theses examined the Nubian community within Egypt, in an effort from her to promote inclusion and diversity.  Her fields of interests include sociolinguistics, language acquisition, code-switching, and methodology

Staff Members

  • Caroline Gear
  • Diego Acosta
  • Alexandra Aguirre
  • Deborah Alm
  • Samira Artur
  • Laura Battles
  • Marco Túlio Bittencourt
  • Elsa Borrero
  • Sabine Charton-Long
  • Jennie Coletta
  • Chris Elliott
  • Macey Faiella
  • Luis Franco
  • Heather Hall
  • Morgan Handy
  • Lianna Hart
  • Avery Hollander
  • Alexis Johnson
  • Brenna Keogh
  • Molly Krifka
  • Brandon LeBlanc
  • Sarale Lizdas
  • Brian Long
  • Kara McBride
  • Melissa Moody Belmonte
  • Geordie Morse
  • Josh Owsley
  • Beth Reddish
  • Betsy Rider
  • Janelle Rivers
  • Laura Robinson
  • Boris Romero
  • Linda Sileniece
  • Cait Simpson
  • Jessica Wiltz
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