Heval Hassan Haider is making a difference in Kurdistan. Located in northern Iraq, Kurdistan has a complicated history, including foreign invasions and occupations.

The Yazidi population have been under threat for centuries in Iraq. Most recently, in 2024, ISIL lead a brutal genocide of the Yazidi’s, forcing thousands of Yazidis from their land to Sinjar Mountain, raping women, terrorizing hundreds, and killing nearly 5000 Yazidi citizens.

Heval teaches English in a primary school and a secondary school in a small Yazidi village. Heval earned a BA degree in English language and literature in 2010. He speaks Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and of course, English. 

Heval is employed as an English teacher in a public school in a village, where he teaches classes for secondary school pupils. In addition, Heval volunteers to teach English in a refugee camp for internally displaced Yazidi families. In the camp, he teaches fourteen groups of students each week. He receives no salary for this work.

He applied to LCC’s MA TESOL program when he learned about it from LCC staff who were visiting his village in hopes to recruit students who were interested in a master’s program. He met Aiste Motekaitiene, who at the time was LCC’s Marketing Director. Heval took the TOEFL test and had an interview with Aiste. As an English teacher, Heval jumped at the chance to study at LCC International University. 

Heval arrived in Lithuania in July 2019 for the Summer Residency Session; it was his first time to visit Europe. Heval received a grant from LCC’s Middle East Scholar’s program. After the in-person summer session, Heval returned to Iraq to continue studying. As you can imagine, life in northern Iraq, was not easy. At times, the electricity would be unstable, or his work was overwhelming. But he persisted. Heval graduated from LCC in 2022. His thesis was titled “Motivational factors of Yazidi youth to learn English.” 

Currently, Heval continues to attend professional development courses. Recently he attended a seminar for teachers where he shared his experience at LCC. Heval writes, “Last summer, I took part in a teacher training course that was organized by the local government in Iraq. During our sessions, we discussed many educational problems in state schools, especially English language teaching problems and learners' inability to speak the language. As I reflected on the problems from different perspectives, many of the attendees were impressed by the ideas I was sharing and wanted to know where I had obtained my master's degree. I provided them with full information about LCC International University.” 

Heval adds, “If it weren't for LCC, I wouldn’t have gained such wonderful hands-on practical teaching experience. Thank you very much to all the faculty. I am determined to complete my doctorate, and I am looking for an opportunity now!”

Author: Robin Gingerich, Ph.D., MA TESOL Program Director at LCC International University.