MEET THE PROFESSIONAL
March 2018
Zeina Saab
Zeina Saab is the founder of the Nawaya Network, an NGO with a mission aimed at discovering the hidden potential in disadvantaged youth, connecting them with resources that help them develop their skills, and ultimately empowering them to shape their future.
We are very excited to feature her this month in our “Meet the Professional” series.
Below are a few questions to help facilitate this interactive connection. At the end of the page you will have an opportunity to post your own questions for Zeina.
……
Describe your current Occupation & Degree/s and Universities.
- BA in International Studies, Minor in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of California – San Diego
- Masters in City Planning, International Development Concentration from MIT
A list of any awards/recognitions:
- King Abdullah Award for Youth Innovation and Achievement, 2013
- USAID-Nabad Social Entrepreneur Award, 2014
- Johnnie Walker “Most Resourceful” Award, 2017
- 2018 Arab Youth PioneerUK Embassy Award for SE Factory, 2018
- Featured in CNN, Forbes, Huffington Post, The Guardian, MIT Tech Review
Discuss a moment or turning point in your life that led you to your career path:
I had always dreamt of working with the UN, and finally this opportunity came in 2010, when I was offered a consultancy position in New York City. After a few months working there, I felt that I wasn’t feeling too fulfilled or challenged with my job. I recall leaving work frequently feeling down and feeling as if I hadn’t made an impact or that I had wasted my day doing things that I didn’t really feel inspired by or excited about. It depressed me, and life wasn’t exciting, even though I was living in an exciting city.
It was at that point that I felt I needed to make a change. So at the end of the year, I decided to pack up and move to Lebanon, to start an NGO to help underprivileged youth develop their talents and skills. I took this path due to a random encounter I had with a young girl in a village in the Bekaa in 2009, who showed me beautiful sketches of dresses she had drawn. I felt this girl could become a fashion designer but I knew that it would never happen as she was living in a remote village, away from any opportunities for her to advance her skill. It made me realize that there are talented youth from marginalized backgrounds all around us, who just need the right resources to be able to realize their full potential. That’s how The Nawaya Network began.
Discuss a role model or mentor who influenced your career choice:
I have a mentor, Christine Sfeir, who is the CEO of Dunkin Donuts and Semsom in Lebanon. I’ve known her since 2012. She became my mentor in 2015, and every few months, I meet with her in her office for a few hours and we discuss personal and professional achievements and challenges. I recall each time we have met, I would present to her an issue or challenge I was facing, and by the end of the meeting, the issue was resolved. The beautiful thing about it was that she rarely presented solutions, but rather worked with me, guiding me towards the solution on my own. She possesses great skills and a wealth of experience, and has become someone I can share my challenges with, knowing that everything can be resolved, we just have to think outside the box.
Do you recall any specific challenges you encountered and overcame?
Nawaya started off with a team of three people, including myself, in 2013, with a small annual budget, supporting a few dozen youth at most. In 2017, we had become a team of 25+ people, with three programs, supporting a few thousand youth. We grew quickly. It was exciting, but so challenging. I realized that I needed to invest in learning more about managing others, resolving conflicts, project management, and developing our human resources policies. We have gone through growing pains, but as a result of this challenge, Nawaya is now operating on much more solid ground, and is a stronger NGO with a more solid foundation than before.
Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
I see myself becoming a serial social entrepreneur. So far I have founded Nawaya and SE Factory, and would love to continue coming up with new programs. I love building them, launching them, bringing someone on board to manage them, and then moving on to create other programs. I have realized that my strengths and passions lie more in founding programs, directing them, providing oversight and support, rather than running them on a day-to-day basis and being involved in the project management and program operations aspect. I already have some ideas for the next programs and look forward to working on them soon.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in your field?
Talk to as many people as possible before starting. Do your research. Set up meetings and interviews, and learn about their journeys. Don’t just ask about their successes, achievements, and what worked. Ask about their failures, biggest regrets, and lessons learned. If I could do this all over again, I would have taken more time to talk to people about their experiences, rather than just asking them for feedback about my plans and my ideas. People have a wealth of knowledge based on years and years of trial and error. If you listen carefully, it could help you avoid pitfalls, be aware of certain challenges, and save you from making costly mistakes.
Tell us a little bit about your hobbies outside of your field:
In 2016, I discovered my love for running. I used to always disregard it, thinking it was boring, but after joining a running group I realized the incredible feeling I get and have loved it ever since. During my runs, I love to listen to the Freakonomics podcast, learning about random topics and “the hidden side of everything.” I find cooking to be incredibly fun and therapeutic, although I’m still learning. I enjoy watching documentary films, public speaking, and advising students on their university applications. I’m also quickly becoming a “game night” junkie J Scrawl is now my favorite!
A Q&A form will be uploaded shortly. In the meantime feel free to send any questions you would like to ask Ms. Zeina Saab to admin@network1017.com
Click here if you would like to connect with Ms. Zeina Saab