Staff

Staff Directory

Administration

Lama Almoazen - Principal - ext. 100
I grew up in Damascus, Syria and moved to the US to pursue higher education. I live in Munster with my husband, my mom, and my two boys. I am a lifelong learner which means I am always going to be in school as a student. I have a Medical Degree from Damascus University, two Master degrees from Long Island University in Molecular Biology and Educational Leadership from the American College of Education. Education has always been my passion, I decided to change my career to education 15 years ago as a weekend school teacher and a board member of a private school. Biology and English have always been my favorite subjects in school and I still enjoy learning new languages.

Teachers

Mari Ewell Torres Preschool - Preschool & PreK - ext. 104
I have a MS of Science, and 2 BA's, one in Human Development & Family Services and the other in Sociology. I have been teaching preschool for over 15 years. I have been with my husband, John for over 20 years. When I am not at work, I like to be with my family, my friends and with my animals. I have 1 sister, Kimberly, and 2 nephews. I have 2 dogs, Jax & Gemma and 3 cats (Gary, Gobi & Boo). My hobbies include listening to music, crocheting, cross stitching and reading. My favorite color is yellow, and I love Dunkin Donuts coffee. Fall is my favorite time of the year because I am a huge football fan.

Wafaa Issa - Kindergarten - ext. 102
I am a lifelong learner. I have a Bachelor's degree in English as well as in Elementary Education from Purdue University Calumet. Reading and science are two of my favorite subjects. I have teaching and educational experience over the course of 19 years. I have worked in many school settings varying from parochial, private, public, and Islamic. I also have many years of experience working with children with special needs as well as with English language learners. I am a mother of five children, four boys and one girl. My husband and two of my children are graduates of Indiana University.

Nadia Shabbir - 1st Grade - ext. 108
I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to become a part of the IHA family. I am extremely excited to be teaching 1st grade here. I was born and raised in California. I moved to Northwest Indiana 12 years ago. I hold a Bachelor's in Business from California State University, Fullerton and and Associate's degree from Fullerton College. I have been teaching for the past 20 years. I have experience working with preschool through first grade. I live in Crown Point with my husband, our three boys, and our Siamese cat Nala.

Pamela Cavinder - 2nd Grade - ext. 106
I am honored to be your child’s 2nd grade teacher. This is my fourth year teaching at Indiana Horizon Academy I earned a BS in Education at Indiana University N.W. I have worked with a variety of students including special education and English language learners. I have over 20 years of experience working in grades K-2. I have been married for 20 years to my husband Tim. Together we have 3 boys. Wesley is a freshman in college. Elias and Eian are twins and are in 7th grade. We live in Hebron, IN. I enjoy traveling, shopping, and eating out. I am looking forward to working with you and your child in reaching his or her full potential. We will have many wonderful experiences and opportunities to learn and grow in the days, weeks, and months ahead. I believe that communication is the key to a great parent-teacher relationship. I look forward to a year of fun and learning with your child! Together we can make this a wonderful, positive experience.

Sherry Evert - 3rd Grade - ext. 109
I am the third grade teacher this year. This is my sixth year at Indiana Horizon Academy and my seventeenth year of teaching overall. I graduated from what was Purdue North Central in 2004 with my Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and in 2010 from the University of Phoenix with a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction with a Specialization in Mathematics Education. So, as you can tell, my favorite subject has always been math with chemistry and physics tying for second. I have been married for 22 years to my wonderful husband Steve and have 2 children, Clayton who is transferring to Purdue West Lafayette and Viktoria who is a freshman at Ball State. We are a pet loving family and have many including 4 cats, a bunch of fish, and a bearded dragon. My favorite things to do outside of teaching are read and explore state and national parks. The Harry Potter series is my favorite book series (which unfortunately I have not made it to Harry Potter World at Universal, but plan to someday!).

Osama Estwani - Islamic Studies 1st-4th Grade

Mona Mohamed - Quran Blossom & Quran KG-4th - ext. 103
I am a Quran teacher to most of the IHA students. I have the Ijaza in Quran recitation/reading (Ijazah or Ijaza is actually an Arabic term that means "permission" or "authorization"). I am a Nouraniah certified teacher. The Nouraniah method is one of the great sciences related to reading the Holy Quran. It is also known as the method used to teach Arabic. I am the 7th of 8 children in my family. I live with my husband in Crown Point and I have two cats. Some of my most favorite hobbies are reading and walking. Alhamdulillah I have 20 years of experience in teaching Quran to our community children.

Hanan Salameh - Arabic & Islamic Studies - ext. 105
I am Palestinian but was born and raised in Jordan. I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economy in 1997 from The University of Jordan. I always wanted to be a teacher, so I started volunteering in schools in 1998. Two of the schools I volunteered at are the Islamic Educational College and Al-Ansar School. I also started tutoring students in all subjects including; Arabic, Math, Physics, Biology, and Islamic Studies. In 2004, I came to America and worked as a teacher in a private Islamic school for 3 years. In 2013 I started working at IHA as an Arabic and Islamic studies teacher and as an Arabic teacher for two weekend schools. In 2016 I became a teacher for blossoms Anoor level for 4 year olds at IHA. I am very happy with where I am today. I love my students and wish them a life full of happiness and closeness to Allah swt. My hobbies are reading, writing stories, and sewing. If I would have to go back in time and choose a career all over again, I would choose to be a teacher again. As the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said “The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it (to others).“

Amira Nour - Quran & Arabic KG, 1st, 2nd & 3rd Grades
I am the Elementary Quran and Arabic teacher. I have a Bachelor's degree in English and an Ijazah in Quran. I have been teaching for 26 years. I am a wife and mother to four children, one boy and three girls. My favorite subject is Quran and I love teaching and learning it.

Huda Oubaid - Quran Blossom - ext. 105
I am the Preschool Arabic and Quran teacher. I live in Munster with my husband, four kids, and two cats. I have been teaching for almost 15 years. I have a degree in Dental Assisting and an Ijazah in Tajweed. My hobbies are hiking and gardening.

Sameeha Alkhalidi - Preschool Teacher Assistant - ext. 104
I have a CDA in Early Childhood Education. I am a mother to five kids (two boys and three girls) and a grandmother to six beautiful grandchildren. I have been working at IHA since it opened in 2013. I love going on walks and reading books to my students and grandchildren.

Rana Alzobaedy - Preschool Teacher Assistant - ext. 105
I have been teaching for 10 years. I am and Assistant Teacher to Mrs. Huda and Mrs. Hanan. I have 3 boys and 1 girl. I have completed my studies in Special Needs Education. My hobbies are drawing and arts and crafts. My favorite subject is Science.