Neamatallah

Neamatallah Elsayed Picture
she, her

Academic Background:

  • Comparative and International Development Education
  • Fourth Year PhD Candidate
  • Social Justice, Representation, and Equity in Education - Youth Identity and Schooling - Decolonial and Postcolonial Approaches to Education

Relevant Tools & Skills:

Qualitative interviewing and Data analysis, Focus Group Discussions Facilitation, Relationship-building and Community Engagement, Project and Research Management, Cross-Cultural Communication.

Interest Areas:

  • Racial & Social Justice Movements
  • Immigrant & Refugee Rights
  • Advocacy Education Equity & Youth Development
  • Arts, Culture & Creative Expression
  • Voting & Civic Engagement

Where I Call Home:

Cairo, Egypt

Areas I’m Hoping to Grow:

Curriculum Development, Policy Analysis, Data Visualization, Participatory Research Methods, Public speaking

Values That Shape My Work:

My community-based work is shaped by critical and decolonial perspectives that challenge extractive models of research and development. I try to approach community-based work with humility, openness, and a willingness to listen carefully to how people make meaning of their own experiences, histories, and identities.

Meaningful collaboration in community-based work means community members are the experts, and my role is to listen, learn, and be guided by them throughout the process. I see myself as someone who can support with research, facilitation, technical skills, or access to resources, while ensuring the direction and priorities of the work remain grounded in the community’s own knowledge and experiences.


I hope my work contributes to strengthening community power by creating spaces where people’s lived experiences, histories, and knowledge are taken seriously and treated as valuable forms of expertise. Beyond simply helping communities feel seen or heard, I want my work to support access to tools, resources, and forms of critical reflection that communities can use to challenge unequal systems and advocate for their own priorities and futures.

A Meaningful Meal or Tradition:

My favorite meal is probably Koshary or Feteer (Egyptian meals) at home with my family or at one of my friends' houses. Nothing fancy, just everyone together, watching a movie, talking loudly over each other, and feeling relaxed.