About Us
A Little About Us
Gandomak is a Persian language school that serves families in Washington DC and Northern Virginia. We provide a full immersion language and cultural experience for children from 18 months to 7 years old. Our education is play-based and community focused, which builds confidence and social skills together with creative self-expression. During our classes, children will participate in various activities, including arts, music, storytelling, games, dance, and movement. Our lesson plans are designed to develop children’s language skills as they improve their understanding of the Persian alphabet and literacy in a fun atmosphere.
About Our Founder
Golbarg Zafari founded Gandomak in 2019 after directing and developing Yekibood Persian school in Virginia for four years. She holds a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from George Mason University with nearly a decade of experience teaching children of all ages. Golbarg’s passion is to create an environment where children and parents can come together to build a community while learning Persian and connecting with their heritage. Her goal is to create a safe, approachable, nurturing, and joyful school that enhances each child’s creativity and curiosity. Because when children have opportunities to make choices in an inspiring and exciting environment, they become motivated and interested to learn.
Our team
Golbarg Zafari
Founder
She was born in Tehran and came from a family of educators who instilled in her a love of learning and teaching. In 2010, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in French translation from Azad University in Tehran. During her college years, she discovered her passion for teaching foreign languages to children.
Driven by her desire to work with bilingual children, she moved to the United States to pursue her graduate degree at George Mason University. Her academic excellence and dedication to education earned her the prestigious Redjali graduate scholarship from the College of Education and Human Development.
Following her graduate studies, she honed her skills as an educator by directing and developing the Yekibood Persian School in Virginia for fours years and teaching at BASIS Independent School in McLean, VA, for almost five years.
Pursuing her love of education and technology, she joined Peachjar, an Ed-tech company, as a product designer. Her passion for innovation and creativity is also reflected in her love for art, designing, dancing, and curating music playlists for her friends.
Golbarg enjoys traveling and experiencing new cultures and lifestyles, as well as art, dancing, listening, and making music playlists for her friends to enjoy.
Maryam Mokri
Educator
Maryam moved to the US from Iran in 2014. She has experience engaging with diverse cultures by ways of living in various countries, including the UK. She holds a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Birmingham, UK. Since moving to the US, she has received a Bioengineering Certification from the University of Maryland. Maryam has been with this institution for over a year.
Throughout her whole life, Maryam participated in several afterschool activities. She understands the joys of such educational environments to building life-long friendships and lasting skills. Maryam enjoys working with kids and considers her time teaching them extremely rewarding. Maryam hopes to create the same joyful environment for the kids attending Gandomak to ensure they, too, reflect on their time and friendships fondly.
Maryam enjoys cooking, playing tennis, exploring new areas as well as going on road trips with her friends.
Shima AminShokravi
Educator
Shima is a passionate educator, born and raised in Tehran, Iran, and currently residing in the United States since 2017. She received her undergraduate degree in law from a prominent university in Iran. However, it was her mother, who was a dedicated teacher in Iran, who ignited her interest in teaching.
Upon relocating to the Washington, DC, area, Shima began working at Gandomak in 2019, applying her teaching skills to promote the bilingual education of Persian-speaking children. She also taught pre-kindergarten at the YMCA for two years and gained valuable experience working with young learners.
Currently, Shima works as a general instructional assistant in Fairfax County public schools, where she continues to expand her teaching skills and expertise.
Shima’s love for teaching and dedication to her students extends beyond the classroom. She is an avid reader and enjoys exploring new cultures and cuisines.
Nima Nia
Educator
Nima was born in Shiraz, Iran. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Painting from the University of Isfahan. Nima has held several solo and group art exhibitions in Iran and the US. Nima’s poetry book, “He is Always a Man”, was published by H and S Media Publisher in London in 2016. Nima has over seven years of experience teaching art to children both in Iran and the US. Nima believes in empowering children and enabling them to communicate their thoughts and emotions through art.
As an artist, Nima’s paintings are influenced and inspired by his experiences working with and teaching to kids.
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