ABOUT

EXPLORE. CREATE. CONNECT. GROW
Art and Wilderness Institute is an Institute dedicated to strengthening appreciation and understanding of Wilderness through all methods of learning.

Students are adults, children and anyone on their journey, anywhere on their journey.

We hope to give back to our community through our learning process.

MISSION

To rekindle a love an appreciation for the environment and community through
exploration, creativity, connection and growth.

THE TEAM

 Sama Wareh, M.S
Director & Naturalist

Naturalist, University Lecturer, Artist, Author of "How to Draw 60 Native CA Plants and Animals: A Field Guide"  and Environmental Educator for over 14 years.

Sama has a Masters Degree in Environmental Studies from CSUF. Her Bachelors is in Filmmaking and she has a minor in Art. Wareh has led over a thousand hikes, taught TK to university level, and has done workshops for arboretums, nature centers, and museums all across California.  She has spoken before the UN, given a TED-X talk, given trainings for OCParks and Interpretive Centers and has received multiple awards, including the OC Register's 40 Under 40 award, OC Weekly's people of the year, and Access California's Humanitarian Heart Award. She has received a certification in Tracking from The Tracker School, is a certified Project WILD and Project Wet Facilitator.

Sama has a strong passion for the outdoors and the environment and her vision of sharing it with the community in a way that channels a deep and meaningful connection is what sparked the Art and Wilderness Institute.  Her philosophy on instilling Magic into the experience is at the heart of all classes taught at AWI. Along with Syma and Khadeeja, Sama is a co-founder of the Art and Wilderness Institute.

Email me!

Dr. Khadeeja Abdullah
Programming Director

Dr. Abdullah is a professor in the Environmental Studies Masters program at California State University, Fullerton. She has worked in various capacities as an Environmental Consultant, Researcher, and Adult Curriculum Developer for the Labor Occupational Safety and Health Department at UCLA, the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety, Heal the Bay, Ralley (a social marketing firm) and the South Coast Air Quality Management District.  She is passionate about equal opportunity access to outdoor environmental education and is working hard to make that a reality.

Dr. Abdullah has a Doctorate in Environmental Science and Engineering from UCLA,  a Masters in Environmental Health and a Minor in Education. Her passion for sustainability and the environment is what led her to further her education and obtain a certification as a Master Recycler through the City of Burbank and certification in Ethnobotany from the School of Self Reliance. Among her hobbies is going on extremely long hikes, camping with family and friends, and spending quality time with her family. This passion for sustainability and desire to connect to nature and community is what got her involved in co-founding the Art and Wilderness Institute. 


Email me!

 
Syma Aslam
Office Manager and Support Specialist

Syma obtained her Bachelors in Psychology and Social Behavior from UCI.  Syma is active in the Southern California Community in multiple capacities and is on the board of ISOC.  Syma is a dynamic organizer, multi-tasker, and problem-solver which is why she is internally known as the " backbone" of Art and Wilderness Institute. Her humility runs so deep she wouldn't even write this bio, which is why Sama enjoyed writing this for her.

    Syma's genuine sincerity and thirst for knowledge is what got her interested in the outdoors and sparked her passion to help co-found the Art and Wilderness Institute. She is the co-leader of the Outdoorswomen Club as well as the journalism team. Syma is a passionate baker and can often be spotted showing up to classes with a basket of freshly baked bread and butter cut out into little heart shapes. Her attention to detail and strong sense of ethics is what gives her the ability to have a strong role in every part of our organization.

email me!

Mona Bennani
Sustainability Coordinator & Wholesome living Instructor

Mona received her Permaculture Design Certification from Zaytuna College Center for Ethical Living, previously worked for the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office on a global youth study and as a water security consultant for EcoPeace Middle East to start a cross border environmental peacebuilding program in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. 

MS in Global Affairs from New York University.

Sarah Hafeez
Art Instructor

Sarah Hafeez is a Canadian born graphic designer, illustrator, and humanitarian. She has a passion for Islamic art, history, nature, children’s animations and charity work.
Sarah has worked in the creative industry for over 20 years, designing, creating and illustrating various works. She is currently an art teacher at The Art and Wilderness Institute in California, where she teaches watercolors and traditional art methods.
Sarah was the first to create a Muslim Children's monthly magazine in the U.S. called MiniMuslimeen. MiniMuslimeen circulated for over 2 years and was enjoyed globally by hundreds of children and adults alike. Sarah is also the illustrator behind "How to get Hijab Ready:  A Guide for Muslim Girls ages 8-11". Sarah’s work also includes business branding and merchandise design.
When she isn’t creating, Sarah enjoys spending time with her three wonderful daughters and husband.  In her spare time Sarah works with Open Arms In Kayseri, whose mission is to help refugee Mothers displaced by war.

---

Selena Khan
Math and Science Instructor

Born in Texas and raised in Southern California, Ms. Selena Khan has been teaching for over 10 years. She comes from a diverse teaching background in which she has taught all core subjects 2nd through 10th grade. Most recently, however, Ms. Selena has been primarily teaching math and science at the upper elementary and middle school grade levels. She is most known for her students’ achievements at regional and state science and engineering competitions. When she is not teaching, she volunteers her time within her community as well as judging and advising for a variety of schools and organizations, including the NASA Mars 2020 “Name the Rover” Contest, the LA County Science and Engineering Fair, and the California Science and Engineering Fair. In 2019, Ms. Selena was honored as a finalist for the California Science Teacher of the Year Award. Ms. Selena is passionate about her work as an educator and seeks to foster a love for learning and exploration in her students.

---

Nada Hajjar
Gardening and Arabic Instructor

Nada has worked in all capacities in the community and has always been on the front-lines supporting various philanthropic causes. Her green thumb can bring any garden to life and her passion for teaching, creativity, and the outdoors is contagious. Her French Literature degree sparked her love for teaching students new languages. She began as a French tutor and expanded to tutoring English to refugees. She is also a master of Arabic due to her Quran and tajweed studies. Aside from languages, Nada also has an associate degree in interior design. Her latest project combines her skills in languages and design to create a new form of learning Arabic for children through art and nature.

---

Shahnila Ahmed
Language Arts

Shahnila grew up exploring four seasons, and the Great Lakes in Michigan, which gave her a lasting appreciation for the outdoors.  She is a homeschooling mother of four children ages 11,9, 6 and 4 who are in the process of becoming little environmentalists. Inspired by the Charlotte Mason philosophy of education, she believes that all children deserve a rich and balanced education outdoors. Shahnila loves to merge many academic subjects with nature study and living books. She has a B.S. in Biochemistry and MBA in Healthcare Management. She is thrilled to be able to share her love of learning and nature with us at the Art & Wilderness Institute. Shahnila has the ability to take a seemingly boring lesson and turn it into an exciting & relevant project that not only brings out her students’ creativity but also inspires them to do more.  In her free time, she likes to read about everything parenting, homeschooling, wellness and personal development, take classes to strengthen her faith, volunteer in the community and spend time with her family.

---

Nadja Dimartino
Marine Biologist
Marine Biology Apprenticeship Instructor

Nadja graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a BS in Marine Biology. Over the years she has had many opportunities to study different aspects of marine ecology, including northern elephant seal tagging and surveying, analyzing relationships of blue crab maternal and larvae characteristics, investigating the physiology of diseased sea stars and impacts on intertidal food webs, and even underwater studies on purple sea urchin behaviors. Taking a step back from ocean life, she is currently pursuing her Masters through Johns Hopkins University in Bioinformatics.
Nadja is passionate about hiking and camping, scuba diving, sustainable living, investigating tidepools (which has earned her the nickname “the bone girl”), and sharing her knowledge of the natural world with others. When she is not out and about, she loves to engage in various arts & crafts projects.

ACCOMPLISHED AMATEURS
Our Accomplished Amateurs are newer to the field and have demonstrated talent and passion for the subject they have hired for. They are the rising future of Art and Wilderness Institute.

Sana Rashid
Covid Safety Coach
Nature Field Apprentice

---

Sana Rashid is an 18-year-old college student on her journey to obtain her MSW. Sana has a wide range of future careers she hopes to pursue, including her mission to work with Art and Wilderness Institute to accomplish teaching children in a unique and engaging way, and bringing the community closer together to share the magical experiences that nature offers. She has her associates degree in Arabic and has worked with Sama in the past for 2 years, helping lead hikes and co-teach children at camping trips. She has been a henna artist for 8 years and has done henna at volunteering events, QUAD M, and fundraisers. In her free time, Sana enjoys stargazing, drinking coffee, watching sunsets, mountain biking, tie dying, painting, hanging with friends and family, and traveling. Her favorite thing in the entire world is cherishing precious moments on camping nights beneath the dark black sky scattered with shining stars with the firelight crackling and glowing, along with the sound of her friends and family laughing and talking. 

“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory” Dr. Suess.

Raneem Iftikhar
Camp Counselor
Wire Wrapping, Sticker Making, and Book binding Instructor

---

Raneem Iftekhar is a 16 year old early college student at Santiago Canyon College who hopes to pursue studies in environmental policy or political science. She is passionate about storytelling through writing, art, music and teaching. She has led clubs for social activism at her high  school, and ran a drive and fundraiser to donate to schools she visited in refugee camps for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. She has also worked with CAIR and participated in their Muslim GameChangers Network program. Inspired by that program, Raneem and a friend created The Generation of Change project for education and community building as an awakened drive of activism among youth in 2020. 

For direct inquiries, please contact:
info@artandwildernessinsititute.com
(714) 745-3001