As a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA), Navara Syed co-teaches English at SMKN 6 Padang, West Sumatra.

She recently graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, with a degree in political science and minors in English and public health. Throughout college, she stayed connected with her local community by volunteering as a basketball coach, an English tutor, and serving in her mosque’s youth group.

As a first-generation Pakistani-American, Navara values both local and global communities. She looks forward to connecting with her students, fellow teachers, and the wider school community in Padang, and to sharing her love for sports, writing, and cultural exchange.