In February of 2019, Simeon visited CIE in its new home in Montague House.  He met the new Director and some old friends.  He shared the following about what he has been doing.

I have spent the past five years in the Dammam, Saudi Arabia, working for a Saudi company, where my main responsibilities are teaching English as part of pre-employment training for recent college graduates.

Since graduating, I have continued my interest in studying obstacles to girls’ education in developing settings.  I my home country of Benin, I conducted site visits and class observations. These observations focused mainly on interactions between teachers and female students, and interactions between male and female students both in and outside of the classroom. I am hoping to use this additional research along with my dissertation to publish a book in the future.

While the main focus of my research is the interface of gender and culture and the influence it has on girls’ education, my stay in Saudi Arabia has added a new dimension to my research interest.  It opened my eyes to the interface of gender and religion and the ways in which it shapes Saudi girls’ current experiences and life choices.

I am back in US for a short visit and will return to the Middle East very soon.  I also return to Benin periodically as well. [2-19]

Email:  simsyf@gmail.com