Mohammad, an Arab from Jerusalem, was in our second cohort. After graduating from Younited, he worked in several fields until his drive and curiosity led him to become a tech entrepreneur. He says that before Younited he was quiet, but once on campus, he felt comfortable enough to engage with different ideas and thoughts, and even to seek leadership roles. This former student president says that the skills and confidence he developed at Younited, especially through trainings and the lived experience outside of his small village, make him believe that he can be the first Arab resident of Jerusalem to develop a billion-dollar company.
Now and next steps: Mohammad is currently running a tech start up, LeapTheLimit, building an AI program. His goal is to run the first Jerusalemite, Arab-led billion dollar company. In parallel, he’s building a community called The Jerusalem Al Collective, an initiative which brings together people from all backgrounds and walks of life, connecting the local scene with the global effort to build the next phase of humanity in the age of Al, focusing on both technical and societal innovation. Mohammad is working closely with the municipality, government partners, and other global and local stakeholders to grow the Jerusalem tech scene and provide access to unique opportunities.
The people at Younited: At Younited, Mohammad developed many different types of friendships that he continues to invest in to this day. He has even had the opportunity to visit some of these friends abroad!
Reason for attending Younited: Mohammad was not satisfied with the quality of education offered at his previous school and knew he needed to find another option. He discovered Younited with the help of a relative, and even though it took time to convince his family to let him attend, they are incredibly proud of the choice he made and his accomplishments.
Summing up 2 years at Younited: Mohammad is driven by the goal of building a world where he and future generations can thrive. He says that Younited played a huge part of that; it helped him academically, but more importantly, it sharpened his critical thinking, giving him the leadership tools and confidence to realize the world has no limits. It showed him that you can create the change you want to see. And, he says, the friendships he built are invaluable.
For more than seven decades, Givat Haviva has provided educational programs aimed at developing a just, equal, and inclusive society. In 2018, we created GHIS as an educational incubator to develop leaders for the future of our world, the Middle East, and Israel—to help move from competition and struggle between nations to a shared, egalitarian society that operates in peace.
GHIS students study the complexity of global conflicts, the differences, and the similarities between them. They learn that individual identity can exist while accepting the identity of the other, and that conflict can be transcended through greater mutual understanding.
Our school draws on the insights of the IB program and the experience of our students from around the world, and supplements it with conflict resolution knowledge accumulated over more than 70 years in Givat Haviva. With this formula a responsible cohort of young people is being created that will one day lead our shared society.
As CEO of Givat Haviva from 2012-2021, Yaniv was one of Israel’s primary leaders of shared society. In this role he created programs that promote these values and educate as many citizens as possible to the benefits of working together.
Jeff was drawn to Younited because of its mission. He was seeking a collaborative environment where he could combine his teaching experience in both math and business management.
“The Younited mission drew me to this community when I came to Israel. It is so rewarding to teach young people who really want to learn and appreciate all that they receive here.”
Jeff has been teaching for 14 years in the US and South Korea. He also worked in EdTech and Personal Finance.
Jeff has a BA in Economics and Math from St Mary’s College and two graduate degrees in Math and Special Ed.
