Hazami, an Arab-American and graduate of Columbia University and Stanford University, is an architect and has worked in the fields of architecture and urban development in Philadelphia and New York City. She is also a photographer and has exhibited her work in Philadelphia. As the founder of Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, she has been responsible for developing and managing the various initiatives. She is the mother of two boys, ages 16 and 13 years.
Hanna is an Arab-Israeli violinist trained in the classical traditions of Arab and Western music. In 2010 he received a Pew Fellowship in the Arts, a prestigious award given to Philadelphia artists for exemplary talent. A recipient of the America-Israel Scholarship and Qattan Foundation Award, Hanna graduated Magna Cum Laude with departmental honors from UCLA with Bachelors in Economics and Music Performance, and obtained his Masters degree in Music from Temple University. Hanna began teaching music with Al-Bustan in Spring 2009, and now leads the development of Al-Bustan’s music program and the newly formed Philadelpha Arab Music Ensemble.
Katie recently completed her Masters of Teaching in the Visual Arts from University of the Arts, graduating Summa Cum Laude. She taught visual art to students at UArts Service Learning Program and Saturday Arts Lab, as well as at Lowell Elementary School and Welsh Valley Middle School. She loves working with children of all ages in a variety of art forms. Katie attended Drexel University, graduating Cum Laude with a B.S. in Fashion Design, where she was the recipient of the Karen Andes Rosenberg award for Professionalism and Academic Excellence, as well as a Golden Key Honor Society member. She worked in the fashion design field for seven years before pursuing a career in education. She enjoys creative art-making, traveling, gardening, and spending time with family and friends. Katie began working with Al-Bustan in May 2011.
Musa, a Palestinian-American, graduated from Haverford College in 2009, receiving a B.A. in Archaeology with a Minor in Astronomy. He spent two years of his childhood living in the West Bank and visited Jordan and Lebanon. His experiences in the Middle East have spurred his interest in the culture and politics of the region, as well as Arab American issues in the United States. His experience working with youth developed as a counselor at Opequon Quaker Arts Camp in Virginia where he organized arts-related workshops for campers. Musa joined Al-Bustan in January 2010 as an AmeriCorps member.
Miranda graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 2010 with a B.A. in History, with a focus on North African and Middle Eastern history and concentration on French and Arabic languages. Her time spent studying abroad in Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco deepened her interest in Arab culture; she delved further during her senior thesis when researching development efforts in Morocco. While at Bryn Mawr she founded the “Adopt a Grandparent” program to connect students with residents of a local retirement home through weekly visits. Miranda enjoys gourmet cooking and eating all kinds of food, especially Arab desserts like maamoul and knafa. She joined Al-Bustan in January 2011 as an AmeriCorps member.
Ayman is a visual designer with over six years experience in the design field, focused on web and interactive projects. Born and raised in Damascus, Syria, Ayman studied Visual Communication at Damascus University School of Fine Arts and in May 2011 completed his Master of Science in Digital Design at Philadelphia University. Ayman joined Al-Bustan on a part-time basis in fall 2009.
