Salma Hadeed

Salma Hadeed’s late mother once told her “a smile can change someone’s day around, and it doesn’t cost a thing.” A native of Trinidad and Tobago, and a now four-time graduate of FIU, Salma was encouraged by her parents to give and not expect anything in return.

Early in her career, she learned she wanted to be in a position that could positively impact the employee experience. She was working for Hilton and saw opportunities to improve training for senior management.

This led her to pursue an M.S. and now Ed.D. in adult education and human development. While earning her master’s she met one her mentors, Judith Bernier, director of FIU’s Center for Labor Research Studies. Salma was already working for the Office of Global Learning but used her spare time to sit in on Bernier’s lectures to gain experience teaching in the classroom.

Salma is the first person in her family to complete a doctoral degree. Today, her days are spent making kids smile, something she knows would make her mother proud. She is now working for Disney English in Shenzhen, China as a foreign trainer, providing an engaging English learning experience for kids between the ages of 3-12. She hopes to continue to encourage people of all ages to look within so they can become improved versions of themselves.

By Giselle M. Cancio
Social Media Manager, College of Arts, Sciences & Education