Meet the Team

Victoria oversees program implementation and budgeting. She is a former teacher who has worked with students worldwide. Through a SITE fellowship and a Fulbright, she taught students, many from immigrant or refugee backgrounds, in Italy and Colombia from 2017–2019.

She also served twice as an assistant at the United Nations FAO for the Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic, and has written about issues of statelessness affecting Dominicans of Haitian descent. Victoria graduated from Harvard in 2017 with a degree in Government, completed her master’s in International Social and Public Policy at the LSE in 2020, and began a PhD at Columbia University in 2022. She is passionate about the power of education and how it can be used to create a more just and equitable world.

Isabela directs the operation of lessons, collaborates on curriculum design, and manages administrative tasks and staff coordination. She has always been drawn to exploring the ways in which education, migration, and culture impact socioeconomic mobility.

She has six years of teaching experience, and through the SITE fellowship and TAPIF, she taught English in underserved communities in both Italy and France. Her insight into international development and education grew through her experiences at the US Department of State and the French Embassy in Washington, DC. Isabela holds a BA in Italian and International Studies from Arcadia University and an MPA from the LSE. She is also completing her MA in French through the Middlebury Language Schools.

As Chief Policy Officer, Layana manages and responds to research needs across development, talent, grant proposals, and policy, and works with different stakeholders to bring resources and evidence-based solutions to education access in refugee camps.

Prior to ELNOR, Layana worked for the New York Public Interest Research Group, where she managed six projects deploying social justice advocacy ranging from higher education access to civic engagement, healthcare, and combating poverty. Layana holds a B.A. in Psychology from The City College of New York, CUNY, and an MSc in International Social and Public Policy from the LSE. She is passionate about education policy as it interplays with equity, social justice, and the global distribution of resources.

Suzanna Varrichione is one of the original founders of ELNOR, helping to design and implement the first iteration of the organization in 2020. She first met the other founders of ELNOR at the London School of Economics while completing a master’s degree in International Social and Public Policy.

Suzanna stepped down from a full-time founding role at ELNOR in 2021 and subsequently transitioned to a Board of Advisors role. She currently works in the international development sector as a Programme Management and Risk Specialist for Chemonics UK, based in London. She is passionate about advocating for the importance of universal access to education and protecting the rights of vulnerable populations.

Amanda runs the daily operations of the education program, working with ELNOR’s students, tutors, and partners to continuously improve the curriculum and students’ experiences. She began working with ELNOR as a volunteer curriculum consultant in early 2021, creating engaging lessons based on the CLIL model and following CEFR guidelines.

Amanda has long-term experience teaching English as a second language full-time in the United States and abroad, including in Hechuan, China, and Reims, France through the TAPIF Program. Amanda reads and speaks French, Italian, and Chinese, and has continued her language studies through online Korean classes.

Dariush coordinates ELNOR’s partnership with BetterDays, teaching English exam preparation courses to young adult students, and supports the Education Department on a variety of projects. Dariush began working with ELNOR in February 2025 and has helped shape exam preparation courses designed to open professional and academic opportunities for students.

Dariush has extensive experience working with NGOs across Iran and Greece, including Yoga and Sport with Refugees in Athens and Refugym in Malakasa refugee camp. He has taught a variety of language courses for people seeking asylum and uses his skills in Farsi, Greek, and English to connect with students and colleagues. Dariush holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in Psychology.

Originally from Afghanistan, Batol is currently based in Madrid, Spain as a refugee. She holds a Bachelor of Computer Science from COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus. Batol is the Founder and CEO of the Afghanistan Youth Leaders Assembly (AYLA) and is actively involved as a social and women’s activist.

Established with a volunteer team in 2019, AYLA works to implement sustainable development projects, particularly around quality education and gender equality, and to provide knowledge, development, and awareness opportunities to young people in remote areas, especially girls.

After the collapse of Afghanistan in August 2021, Batol and her team began providing online schooling to girls to support further educational opportunities, particularly abroad. AYLA now has alumni studying at universities around the world. Alongside her work in education, Batol has advocated nationally and internationally on gender apartheid and restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan.

Megan has volunteered with ELNOR as an IELTS tutor since September 2022 and is now a dedicated part of the team. Her passion for more equitable borders and humanitarian visa policies stems from her time as an activist in immigrant communities working to secure Sanctuary Cities in 2016.

She greatly admires the work ELNOR is doing and enjoys learning more about her students throughout her tutoring sessions. They continue to inspire and drive her work. Megan holds a B.A. in Political Science, History & Communications from the University of Delaware and an MSc in International Social and Public Policy from the LSE.