Former student Maria Dadouch’s experiences in our classes have had long-reaching effects in other countries.After studying with us, she’s expanded into publishing and teaching herself, contributing to the growth of picture book publishing and education.
Maria says, “I want to share the butterfly effect of Terry Pierce’s Picture Books course on the Arab world. Queen Rania of Jordan started a platform called Edraak that provides a Massive Free Open Online Course. Four years ago, as a UCLA graduate, Edraak asked me to create videos teaching how to write a picture book. Now, over 75,000 learners have subscribed to it! The learners have won prizes, become jury members in competitions, and editors in famous publishing houses. Many have sent me letters of appreciation for the free course that changed their lives and mapped out the picture book world for them. The Arab world could really benefit from an increase in good picture books, and the course sparked a real improvement.”
Maria’s work has gained recognition, and USAID granted funding to the platform called 3safeer.
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