Speaker Biographies
Dr. Qanita Mohiuddin
Dr. Qanita Mohiuddin is a mother of six and a passionate educator committed to holistic, faith-centered learning. She earned her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and a Master’s in Teacher Education from the University of California, Irvine. She also holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Management from Alliant International University, where her research focused on advancing social justice and student agency through read-aloud practices and meaningful conversation.
Dr. Qanita is the Founder and Director of RISE, an organization dedicated to empowering youth, parents, and educators while fostering deeply rooted, spiritually aware learning communities. With a firm belief in integrating Islamic values across all core subjects, she develops and teaches interdisciplinary, project-based ELA courses that weave together Seerah, science, history, and math.
As a curriculum developer, community teacher, and advocate for spiritually grounded education, she is passionate about reimagining learning in a way that nurtures the soul, builds character, and inspires a sense of purpose. She strives to find ways for herself and her community to rise to action in this world in hopes of rising to the greatest heights in the Hereafter.
Ustadhah Sarah Ahmed
Sarah Ahmed is an educator and author of (Reading Quran, A Step-by-Step Guide to Qur’anic Fluency) She is an Islamic scholar, writer and home educator. She graduated with an alimiyyah degree in 2011 from Dar ul-Uloom al Madania in New York. She has served as an Islamic Studies instructor and Qur’an teacher for the past decade. She is passionate about working with youth, focusing on empowering young muslim women with knowledge on their deen and spirituality. She currently resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband and three children and is working on other beneficial Islamic works.
Hana Khatib
Hana loves homeschooling! For years, she’s cultivated a rich learning environment that inspires, nurtures and empowers, not just her students, but her as well. This may be the secret to her success and the key to her ability to thrive long-term as a homeschooler. In Hana’s words, the homeschooling journey is a challenging one, even in the best of times. Build your confidence as a homeschooling parent as you learn to cultivate your own passions, so you can raise life long learners. In the process, you’re likely to discover who you are, your strengths and your abilities.
Sally Hassan
Sally Hassan founded and runs Bloom, an outdoor adventure organization that utilizes the serenity of nature to connect women and children with each other, themselves, and their Lord. Bloom hosts sister’s only retreats, camps, and events focusing on self care, personal development, connection through adventure, sisterhood and childhood nostalgia. Sally has completed certificates in NLP, Accelerated Learning, Time Management, Advanced Communication Skills, and NonProfit Management and Organization Development. Sally is currently training in Strategic Intervention with Robbins-Madanes Training to become a certified life coach specializing in energy and connection.
Zamzam Abukar
Zamzam Abukar is a licensed clinical mental health therapist, youth mentor, and proud mother of three. With a trauma-informed, person-centered approach, she helps clients explore what gives their life meaning. Zamzam has served as a high school youth mentor at the Islamic Center of Valley Ranch for the past two years and is passionate about nurturing the next generation. She finds joy in plants, coffee, matcha, and creating spaces that feel safe and healing.
Ndaa Hassan
Ndaa is a children's author and creative-design enthusiast. She is passionate about storytelling and social entrepreneurship, with a focus on religion, language, and culture. As a mother of four, she is intentional and mindful of the stories she chooses to share with the world, recognizing that for many children, books are their first introduction to a world beyond their own. She is the author of the best-selling Ramadan Around the World, The Most Powerful Night, and Sitti's Olive Trees. Visit her website at www.ramadanaroundtheworld.com
Mona Hammad
Mona Hammad holds a B.S. in Elementary Education with a Mathematics Emphasis from the University of Maryland and an M.A. in Applied Educational Psychology. She is currently pursuing Islamic studies at the Qalam Seminary and serves as an Instructional Excellence Coach at the Muraqaba School in Frisco, TX. Her 15+ years in education span public schools, weekend programs, and national institutions, including 12 years at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth, where she led curriculum projects and trained instructors in Arabic, Math, Psychology, and Writing. Originally from Maryland and now based in Dallas, Mona finds joy in community work, meaningful conversations, and shared reflections on motherhood. She is passionate about building learning environments that are rooted in academic excellence and centered on connection to Allah.
Maryam khan
Maryam Khan began her academic journey in the sciences, earning a Master’s degree in Research Methods in Cognitive Neuropsychology in the UK. Along the way, she developed a deep love for the Qur’an, which led her to study Qur’anic Arabic and appreciate its profound literary beauty.
Following the birth of her first child, Maryam was introduced to the Montessori philosophy. Disheartened by the limited early childhood options available in her local Dallas community, she decided to pursue formal training and went on to earn her AMI 3–6 diploma from the MINT Institute. She later led a Montessori classroom of 26 children in Columbia, Maryland, and served as an assistant guide in Austin, Texas.
Today, Maryam is a homeschooling mother of five—ranging from 7 years to 7 months old—including a pair of spirited toddler twins. Her experiences in both formal education and parenting have shown her that even the most respected pedagogies can fall short when they separate young children from the nurturing rhythms of family life.