Her Story
About Nadia
Ever since I was little, I always had some great teachers, and naturally teaching was something I was inclined to pursue. Based on our faith background, we're always encouraged to volunteer, so I volunteered as a teacher before becoming a professional teacher. Once I became a teacher, I saw an opportunity to get a double master's degree in London, a master's in teaching and a master's in education. I came back to the U.S. and taught in the nonprofit world for a little bit. Then I started thinking about family planning, and I told my husband, where would we put our children? I toured around all these different schools, and I said, nowhere. We always thought we'd create a school, maybe across the pond in a different country where they needed good quality education, but apparently that was across the street. So we decided to create our own school, which both of our boys ended up going to, and now it's just a great resource for the community that we live in. We have about 40 employees, all women, and I love that we can provide a pathway for them to provide for their families as well. We serve children as young as 6 weeks old up to 5 years old during the day, and we pick up some kids after school. In addition to the nurturing environment we provide, we work on developmental milestones and educational goals. One thing we're super proud of is that typically by the time our students graduate, 90% of them are reading at a kindergarten graduate or first grade level, so we send them off way prepared for elementary school. I created the curriculum myself because I used to be a kindergarten, first grade teacher, and it's something I can tweak every year because children 10 years ago look very different than they do today. We're able to roll with the punches and give the kids what they actually need rather than buying something off the shelf when we know it probably won't work.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Nadia
01What do you attribute your success to?
I probably attribute my success to a combination of things. A strong upbringing where my parents were very supportive and said, you could try whatever you want to try, and I'm sure you'll be good at it. I've also created this school with my husband, and he's the entrepreneurial one who said, if you're gonna do it, let's do it, and we'll make sure that whatever we create is the best, and we don't settle for mediocrity. So, a positive upbringing and a supportive partner are key. But I also attribute success to having the space to make mistakes and learn from them. Sometimes people make mistakes or don't choose the right way the first time and feel defeated, but over the years, I've learned to grow from those experiences rather than shut down from them. I also attribute success to having the trust placed in me from a lot of the parents who bring their children to my school. I think it's about being honest and sincere, where people are like, okay, she actually wants to make sure my children are taken care of and are learning at the same time. Building positive relationships with people is so important because sometimes things get so transactional in different parts of our lives that the ability to connect on a human level gets overshadowed. At the end of the day, we are humans talking to other humans who need care, who need help, who want the best for their children. So just providing a humanly approach to everything we do has been key to my success.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is that even if it's been done before, you can do it better. As an extension to that, there are hundreds of preschools around, right? And so that's where that quote comes from. We didn't settle to just do what everyone was doing. We wanted to do what has not been done before. So don't be afraid to create something new. And whatever you do, give it your 100%, because if you're going to do something, you might as well do it really well.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice for young women entering this industry is that you need to work hard and earn your success. It doesn't happen in one day. It is a process. But if you work towards that process and refine that process, that success will come. You also, at the end of the day, need to love what you do, and wholeheartedly believe in what you're doing, in order for you to see that success. Because sometimes there are successful moments in the tiniest little things that you do that will work their way up into huge success. Tiny steps is what's gonna get you there, but you do need to absolutely love what you do. If you don't wake up every morning looking forward to coming here, this isn't the right place for you.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
A strong work ethic is something that's important to me in my work. But integrity, perseverance, I think those are all values that simultaneously work personally but also professionally as well. And then also the ethic of giving back. You never know when someone needs something, but if you kind of go into every day knowing that whatever you do is going to help someone, it probably gets you through your day. Because day in, day out, days are tough, but someone might have it tougher. So your actions speak volumes, and you never know when what you're doing is actually helping someone else in ways that you probably can't even imagine. At the end of the day, we just want to do what's right.
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