Arabic classes in San Francisco - Pacific Arabic language school

Who We Are

Our Folks

Jamal Mavrikios

An avid linguaphile since childhood, Jamal's love for the Arabic language began at Hofstra University under the tutelage of Dr. Henry Chaim Toledano. Jamal continued his Arabic studies at New York University and the United Nations Language Training Institute, and studied translation theory at the University of California, Berkeley.

Jamal has worked in diverse international environments in industry and the United Nations. With Mary Ardagna, he coauthored "For Every Child," the official campaign song of UNICEF's 1990 World Summit for Children. Jamal has a keen interest in African languages and cultures, and in sustainable development. He is founder and executive director of Pacific Arabic Resources.

Jamye Ford, Qiq.

Jamye is our Educational Support Director. He graduated from Columbia University and comes to us after several years of running a UCSF research study and programs focused on homeless youth. He discovered his love of languages at a young age and is fluent in Mvskoke (spoken by the Creek Nation and Seminole Indians of Florida and Oklahoma). He has also studied French, Mandarin, and Ancient Greek. In addition to providing educational support, Jamye teaches Standard Arabic and Mvskoge at PAR.

Maher Sabry

An accomplished language teacher, Mr. Sabry is also a published author and poet. His volume Maaryuniit met with critical acclaim, and his work was anthologized in Angry Voices: An Anthology of the Off-Beat New Egyptian Poets (University of Arkansas Press). Maher was also a cartoonist and illustrator for Egyptian periodicals, including the "Cairo Times". In addition, he founded the Egyptian independent theater company Maraia and co-founded the Shrapnel Theater Troupe. In May 2002 he was the recipient of the Felipa de Souza Human Rights Award. Maher teaches Standard Arabic and Egyptian Arabic at Pacific Arabic Resources.

Nasser Riyadh

An editor by profession, Nasser (a.k.a. Nicholas Cheonis) attended the Juilliard School and graduated from Columbia University. The Bay Area native began learning Arabic in New York, with further studies in Beirut and Cairo after many courses in MSA, Levantine dialect, and calligraphy at PAR. He is also familiar with Turkish, Japanese, and several European languages. Nasser teaches Standard Arabic at Pacific Arabic Resources.

Noureddine Amari
	Noureddine hails from the historic city of Kasserine, Tunisia. He graduated from Sousse Univeristy (Tunisia) and has worked as a French / Arabic translator and interpreter. Outside of his passion for languages, Noureddine is also a calligrapher and an artist. Noureddine teaches Tunisian and Standard Arabic at Pacific Arabic Resources.

Zinat Misif

Zinat grew up in Iran but spent ten years in Jordan, returning to Iran to complete her BA degree. She's lived in San Rafael for the past 20 years, and has been teaching for twelve years. She has a BA in American Literature from Tehran University, a Montessori credential and a TESOL certificate from UC Berkeley. Zinat teaches Farsi at PAR, and is willing to jump in if we need a substitute teacher for Levantine Arabic.