Already an elementary school teacher, business owner, and mother, Zaina Zedan, B.A. ’03, has added CEO to her resume.
Zedan leads Saut, an early intervention and educational program in Saudi Arabia focused on supporting students with Down syndrome so they can live their full potential.
“Our main services are education, empowerment, and training,” Zedan explains. “We receive students from birth, offering early intervention through physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Then, our students enroll in a day program until they’re about 20 years old.”
As CEO, Zedan leads efforts to empower individuals through world-class education, training, research, and awareness in the Arabic language for thousands of students in Saudi Arabia. And Saut doesn’t just offer education for students—it provides training and guidance for teachers, healthcare professionals, and parents.
New Beginnings
Long before Zedan began her journey as a CEO and advocate for students with Down syndrome, she was an undergraduate student at the Lynch School. During her time at Boston College, Zedan says her skills were shaped by the pre-practicum and full practicum experiences.
Before graduating in 2003, Zedan went through the pivotal experience of being an international student at the time of the September 11 terrorist attacks. She explains, “Being a citizen from Saudi Arabia was not easy. Yet, I did not face any discrimination or negative backlash. BC was very supportive.”
While many of her U.S.-based friends from Saudi Arabia returned home after the attacks, Zedan felt comfortable enough to stay on the Heights, and two years later, she completed a bachelor’s degree in human development and elementary education with a minor in special education. Following graduation, Zedan returned to Saudi Arabia and began teaching English and math to first and second graders.
As her personal life evolved, so did her professional path. Getting married and starting a family inspired a new chapter, rooted in community-building and early childhood enrichment.
“I had my first son and started going to Mommy and Me sessions. I met a group of lovely new moms, and together, we started an enrichment center,” Zedan shares.
The Enchanted Garden
For over a dozen years, Zedan led the center, known as Enchanted Garden, which included preschool and afterschool programs, offering French, karate, and taekwondo classes. The center was more than a business to Zedan—it was a community with her children and their friends fostering growth outside the classroom.
Things took a turn when COVID-19 hit, and Enchanted Garden faced challenges which felt like a “natural time” to close the center and look to the future. Undeterred from her professional ambitions, Zedan began a new chapter: writing children’s books.
"Oudi Ya Noqodi," a children's book by Zaina Zedan
From Author to CEO
To promote her books—five of them so far—Zedan visited schools for reading events. It was at one such event that she found her next opportunity. An attendee scouted her to become the new CEO of Saut: The Voice of Down Syndrome Society.
“I met with them, and within a week, I started,” Zedan says, adding that “having BC on your resume is a big plus.”
Now, Zedan’s been with Saut for three years, making a difference in the lives of parents, students, and educators. The work of the program is critical; in addition to educational offerings, Saut also puts some students through vocational training that prepares them to work.
“We've partnered with restaurants, university libraries, and companies,” Zedan says, adding that a number of graduates are currently working. With nearly 200 students in the program, Saut’s efforts to provide a voice for folks with Down syndrome continues as the company launches an online platform. “It’s so rewarding,” she says, reflecting on countless messages from parents affirming the value of their work.
After leaving the Heights, Zedan’s journey has led her in many different directions, but one thing has never changed: she continues to center her life’s work around fighting for the inclusion, empowerment, and education of her students.