Aya Zakaria

Aya Zakaria is an educator from Palestine with 10 years’ experience and a researcher with 7 years’ experience. As a primary teacher of vulnerable children in Lebanon, Aya has taught refugee children of all ages in the Palestinian and Syrian community and is known for her innovative approach to teaching mathematics.As a senior research assistant on multiple projects studying early childhood education and mental health in emergencies, Aya has conducted quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis for several humanitarian interventions in Lebanon, including for Harvard University, UNRWA, WarChild Holland, Search for Common Ground and Caritas, and has worked with Dr. Alexandra Chen, Dr. Ken Miller, Dr. Bassel Akar and Dr. Jo Kelcey.At Early Light, Aya serves as the Lab Administrator and Clinical Coordinator, working with patients, parents, interpreters, and clinicians across 9 countries and 5 languages to provide quality psychotherapy and child development support to refugee children and adults worldwide. Aya holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Teaching Diploma from Beirut Arab University.