Some educators arrive at their vocation through a single defining moment. Najwa Saba ‘Ayon Fares arrived through a sustained and deepening curiosity, one that began with language and grew into something far larger: a conviction that education, when done right, does not merely transfer knowledge but fundamentally transforms the people who receive it.
Her academic journey began with a Bachelor’s degree in English Language, followed by a Master’s in TEFL at the American University of Beirut, and deepened further through doctoral studies and research at the University of Sussex. Each stage expanded not just her expertise but her perspective on what education is truly for: reflective teaching, learner development, and the role of learning in a world that never stops changing.
Working over the years with students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds has been the most formative education of all. Those encounters reinforced something she now holds as a core belief: that education must cultivate critical thinking, empathy, adaptability, and meaningful human connection, not simply deliver content and measure retention.
“Education should not only transmit knowledge,” she says, “but also cultivate critical thinking, empathy, adaptability, and meaningful human connection.”
At Rafik Hariri University in Meshref, Lebanon, she has built a career that embodies exactly that belief, in the classroom, in curriculum development, in faculty mentoring, and in the broader academic community she continues to shape.
INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE AS ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE
In a world where borders have become porous and collaboration routinely crosses continents, Najwa argues with quiet force that intercultural understanding is no longer an enrichment. It is infrastructure.
Her work in intercultural communication has shown her repeatedly what happens when learners develop genuine cultural competence: they challenge their own assumptions, appreciate perspectives that initially feel foreign, and become more reflective in how they engage with the world. Understanding how culture shapes values, communication styles, and perceptions does not soften professional relationships. It makes them more honest, more productive, and more durable.
Her belief in this has been reinforced through her own international collaborations, including academic publications, conference presentations, and scholarly initiatives with educators and researchers from different countries and disciplines. Participating in panel discussions with colleagues whose cultural and professional backgrounds differ sharply from her own has consistently confirmed what she teaches: the most impactful ideas emerge when different perspectives meet in a spirit of mutual respect and shared purpose.
“Intercultural competence strengthens not only communication,” she observes, “but also creativity, adaptability, and collective problem-solving.”
Universities, she believes, carry a specific responsibility here. Graduates who cannot navigate cultural difference are not fully prepared for the environments they are entering. Cultivating intercultural competence is not an optional add-on to higher education. It is one of its core obligations.
TEACHING THAT MEETS LEARNERS WHERE THEY ARE
Najwa’s approach to English as a Foreign Language teaching reflects the same philosophy that runs through all her work: learners are not passive vessels to be filled but active participants whose engagement, creativity, and voice must be deliberately invited.
The strategies she champions place students at the center of their own learning. Task-based and project-based approaches allow students to apply knowledge to authentic challenges rather than memorizing isolated information. Inquiry-based learning encourages exploration and genuine intellectual engagement. Peer feedback develops critical thinking and a shared sense of responsibility for the learning environment. Flipped learning shifts classroom time from passive reception to active analysis, collaboration, and application.
Technology, in her framework, is a powerful ally when integrated with purpose rather than novelty. But beneath every strategy lies something more fundamental: the creation of a psychologically safe classroom where students feel respected, heard, and willing to take intellectual risks.
“At the heart of any strategy,” she says, “is creating a classroom where students feel encouraged to take intellectual risks. Effective teaching today requires flexibility, empathy, and a willingness to adapt.”
AI AS COLLABORATOR, NOT REPLACEMENT
On the question of artificial intelligence in education, Najwa occupies a position that is both open and clear-eyed. The question, she argues, is never whether AI should enter education. It is how it should enter, responsibly, ethically, and in proper relationship with the human dimensions that technology cannot replicate.
In her own teaching, she has explored AI tools including ChatGPT as research assistants and feedback partners, not substitutes for human thinking. When guided properly, these tools can support students in brainstorming, revising, and developing greater autonomy as learners. Peer feedback and teacher guidance remain essential complements, encouraging students to evaluate AI-generated suggestions critically rather than accepting them uncritically.
What she is equally clear about is what AI cannot do. Empathy, mentorship, ethical judgment, and emotional support are not functions that can be automated. Effective AI integration requires pedagogical frameworks that honor both technological innovation and the irreplaceable human relationship between teacher and student.
“The future of education should not be about replacing educators,” she says, “but about empowering both teachers and students through thoughtful collaboration with technology.”
CURRICULUM THAT PREPARES FOR A WORLD STILL BEING WRITTEN
A future-ready curriculum, in Najwa’s understanding, is one that never mistakes content delivery for genuine preparation. As she notes, “In my view, successful curricula are flexible, interdisciplinary, learner-centered, and responsive to societal and technological changes.” They should promote critical thinking, communication, creativity, collaboration, ethical reasoning, and intercultural competence alongside disciplinary expertise, equipping learners with both deep knowledge and the transferable capacities needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.
She places particular emphasis on constructive alignment, the coherent relationship between learning outcomes, teaching methods, and assessments. When these three elements work together, learning becomes meaningful rather than performative. Experiential learning opportunities that connect theory to practice are equally essential, giving students the chance to discover what knowledge actually does in the world rather than simply what it says on the page.
The rapid advancement of AI has added new urgency to this framework. Preparing students to consume information is no longer sufficient. They must be equipped to evaluate, question, and apply it responsibly, a demand that curriculum design must meet directly and deliberately.
THE TRANSFORMATION THAT LASTS BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
Among the experiences that have stayed with Najwa most deeply is watching a former student, whom she first knew as an advisee and language learner, grow into a valued colleague on the English Language faculty. Supporting that journey from student to educator, sharing experiences from her own academic path, and witnessing the confidence that developed over time reminded her of something she already knew but was moved to see proven again: the true impact of education extends far beyond the classroom and can shape entire generations of future educators.
Equally powerful has been witnessing students who arrived with genuine fear of public speaking discover, over time, a strong and confident voice. One such instance involved a student who struggled not only with speaking before an audience but also with one-on-one communication. After noticing her reluctance to participate in class, Najwa invited her for a conversation, during which the student shared that she had enrolled in the course specifically to overcome her fears and gain the confidence to express herself. Through ongoing encouragement, personalized guidance, and a supportive classroom environment, a remarkable transformation became evident as the student gradually found her voice and became a more confident communicator. Experiences like this reaffirm Najwa’s belief that public speaking is not merely about delivering speeches; it is about empowering students to believe in themselves and communicate their ideas with confidence in both academic and professional settings.
“Education is not simply about transmitting knowledge,” she reflects. “It is about empowering individuals to recognize their potential and pursue opportunities they may never have imagined possible.”
TEACHING THROUGH CRISIS, HOLDING SPACE FOR HOPE
In Lebanon, the work of education carries a weight that educators in more stable environments rarely encounter. Economic crisis, social upheaval, and regional uncertainty have become the backdrop against which students at Rafik Hariri University, like other Lebanese students, navigate their studies and their futures. In that context, Najwa’s role extends well beyond the academic.
Educators in Lebanon are frequently called upon to provide stability, encouragement, and a sense of hope during conditions that make all three genuinely difficult. Inclusion, she insists, means more than access to the classroom. It means ensuring every learner feels they belong, that their voice carries weight, and that their presence within the educational experience genuinely matters.
It is a demanding standard. It is also, she believes, the only one worth holding.
A VISION FOR THE DECADE AHEAD
Looking toward the next ten years, Najwa envisions intercultural communication and transformative learning becoming even more central to the mission of higher education. As artificial intelligence continues reshaping how knowledge is accessed and shared, the human dimensions of empathy, dialogue, and ethical responsibility will not diminish in importance. They will become more valuable precisely because they cannot be replicated by technology.
Her hope is that universities evolve into spaces that cultivate not only skilled professionals but compassionate, reflective, and globally minded individuals capable of contributing positively to a world of genuine complexity.
Her advice to aspiring educators carries the same spirit: remain curious, reflective, and connected to the human purpose of education. Never underestimate the power of empathy and cultural understanding. And above all, keep learning, because effective educators are lifelong learners first.
That, in the end, is the transformation she has spent her career making possible, one student, one conversation, one carefully designed learning experience at a time.
