In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Siriana Abboud on the podcast. In our conversation, Siriana shares about her personal journey in education, the founding of Allusio Academy, the public perception of early childhood programs pre and post-COVID-19, her thoughts to the colonial situation in Palestine, and so much more! To learn more about Siriana's work, you can visit the Allusio Academy website at allusioacademy.com or you can follow her on Instagram (@allusio.academy) and Twitter (@siriana_).
BIO: Siriana Abboud, founder of Allusio Academy, is devoted to a life in early childhood education. Her career began at Carnegie Mellon University. She received her B.S. in Psychology, with concentrations in developmental and social/personality psychology. Her additional major in French and Francophone Studies introduced her to bilingual acquisition and multilingual learning. At Columbia University, Teachers College, Siriana gained her Masters in Early Childhood Education, in both general and special education. There, she became the youngest student selected as a QUIERE scholar, studying education through social justice. She received an additional certification in French teaching. She has taught in twelve classrooms across New York City and Pittsburgh, ranging from infant to second grade. Her extensive experiences have equipped her with the knowledge and skills to serve students of all diverse backgrounds and abilities.
Through her latest role as a head teacher in an NYC Universal Pre-K, Siriana developed an elementary mastery of Spanish, adding to her linguistic skills in English, Arabic, and French. Siriana values progressive pedagogies that are child-centered and informed by developmental research. As a teacher, she honors families as leaders of their child’s education. Her approach is inspired by those of Reggio Emilia, Montessori, and other play-based philosophies. She invites children to explore their communities while bringing their world into the class. She has been featured on NPR’s On Point Radio, Vogue Living Arabic, The Telegraph Food UK, and Pittsburgh Today Live.
