Our Leadership Team

Hanan Mikhail, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Student Services and Operations

Our Co-Founder of 20 years of experience also acts as the Director of Student Services and Managing Director in the organization’s three branches. Hanan has extensive experience teaching Egyptian Colloquial Arabic at all levels for the past 10 years. In addition, Hanan holds a degree from the Faculty of Commerce (English Division) from the American University in Cairo as well as a Diploma in Management from Cairo University along with her teaching certification.

Hanan is passionate about many things, but one of the things that she is most passionate about is meeting new people and being able to form relationships with them. Her greatest wish is to travel the world and to continue learning and discovering new things.” 

Why Hanan Believes in UCAN: “I love teaching very much and I enjoy sharing my knowledge and skills through my style of teaching. UCAN is like a second home to me, and my colleagues are my family. In addition, I feel like I learn a lot from our international students, and they learn a lot from me as well.”

Marian Ishak, Co-Founder & Director of the Arabic Language Department and Teaching Curriculums

Our Co-Founder has 20 years of experience teaching Arabic and training teachers on how to effectively deliver UCAN’s innovative language programs. As a graduate from the University of Alexandria combined with two decades of teaching experience, Marian brings all her knowledge and expertise to the UCAN community.

Marian enjoys listening to music particularly the song “You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban as it is very heartfelt and gives her strength. She also enjoys reading John Macel’s books on leadership.

Why Marian Believes in UCAN: “I became a teacher because I enjoy helping my students meet their needs. What I like the most about UCAN are the variety of cultures present and our creativity when it comes to teaching. What’s great about us is that people come to us to learn new skills and we help to transform their lives. I’m passionate about changing education and changing the Egyptian mentality.”