Passionate about learning, then and nowJanan Shouhayib ’12

As a fifth-year doctoral candidate in Critical Social/Personality Psychology at The Graduate Center, City University of New York, Janan Shouhayib ’12 studies the historical, cultural, and political contexts of personhood, seeing individuals more fully and from a variety of angles. Upon reflection, she notes it’s not unlike the model of teaching that attracted her to McLean School in
grade 9.

“McLean’s appreciation for each individual student and flexible way of teaching inspired me, even in areas like math and physics that weren’t my strong suits,” says Janan. “I stopped worrying so much about things like grades and just embraced the learning. It was a completely different experience and environment than at my previous school, where I wasn’t as comfortable or confident.”

Janan was already somewhat familiar with McLean: her older brother Nabil ’10 started at the school in Grade 6. She remembers him talking about how much he loved his teachers, and quickly came to understand why. “Everyone at McLean cares about what they’re teaching, and it makes you care about what you’re learning,” Janan says.

She remembers Mr. Belliveau doing handstands to demonstrate inverted fractions; Mr. Dunn’s class walks while teaching history; Mr. Booth’s creative writing class, where students were able to be vulnerable and very much themselves. The class Valedictorian, Janan spoke at graduation, thanking teachers for their commitment and caring. “I think about those teachers all the time, and what a happy environment they create for students,” she says. “I know I had an appreciation for it back then, but now I realize it is truly something to cherish.”

Janan went on to Connecticut College, where she majored in Psychology. “My studies were very clinical, but what I really wanted to learn were the stories,” she says. In her junior year, Janan started working alongside a professor doing research on cultural identity. “I loved that, because I was putting people into context. That’s the work that ultimately led me to graduate school.”

After earning a Master of Arts in 2021 and Master of Philosophy in 2022, Janan is writing her PhD dissertation on mother-daughter relationships in the Lebanese American diaspora. “My research has always been super personal,” says Janan. She credits McLean with kindling her love for humanities, which continues to be a strong influence today. “When I’m conducting qualitative interviews with people, I always pay close attention to the words they say, almost like literature or poetry.”

When she’s not busy with school or her work as a Program Coordinator for a mentorship program based at City College of New York, Janan enjoys taking long walks around her Upper West Side neighborhood, journaling, and spending time with friends and family, including traveling to see loved ones in the DC area and Lebanon. And she’s a longtime collector of maps—“I guess you could say it ties into my interest in how people relate to their environment. I just love looking at them!”

Janan’s career aspirations are varied—she thinks about becoming a therapist or maybe a teacher—but one thing is certain: “Whatever I decide to do, I know it will involve having meaningful, close connections with people,” she says. “And McLean was absolutely where I first understood and appreciated how valuable those relationships can be.”