Hend Shnayen Awarded Honorary Degree
O
n August 5, Thomas J. Volpe,
Chairman Emeritus, SFC Board
of Trustees, and Adjunct Professor
Dr. Yassin El-Ayouty gave an Honorary
Doctorate of Letters to Hend Shnayen who
helped Iraq draft parts of its new constitution
regarding the rights of children and women.
The Ontario Provincial Government and
Oakville Member of Provincial Parliament
Kevin Flynn hosted the presentation near
Toronto; Ms. Shnayen, a former Iraqi
national, is now a Canadian citizen and lives
“ y honoring me tonight, you
B
are honoring all those like me,
who when they see a chance
for bettering humanity, they
go for it.”
— Hend Shnayen
in Ontario with her three children. She
recently founded the International Institute
for the Arabic Culture and Language that
helps local governments integrate minorities
into the community as well as develop
community service across diverse cultures.
Dr. Yassin El-Ayouty, Thomas J. Volpe, Hend Shnayen, Indira Naidoo-Harris, Mr. Kevin Flynn, MP.
It is a continuation of the work she did in
Iraq, helping widows and street children
who were victims of Saddam Hussein.
She too suffered at the dictator’s hand:
18 members of Ms. Shnayen’s family were
executed during his reign.
Guests heard an operatic rendition of
“O Canada,” the Canadian national anthem,
before Mr. Volpe and Dr. El-Ayouty praised
Ms. Shnayen for her lifelong dedication to
improving the quality of life for the Iraqi
people and for improving the understanding
of people from diverse cultures.
Ms. Shnayen told th