About Coded Minds Canada

Coded Minds Canada is a global iSTEAM and Leadership Development education technology company that is empowering the next generation of leaders with the skills to be successful in the 21st century. Children, youth, and the adults who inspire them, require a stimulating and nurturing environment to be able to develop the skills required for a successful future. Our programs and curriculum are designed to provide quality, developmentally appropriate, interactive iSTEAM experiences, and care to children of all backgrounds all around the world.

Coded Minds is a global iSTEAM Leadership company that is empowering millions of children in different parts of the world.

Our Mission

Engage children, youth, and the adults who inspire them, in creative iSTEAM learning experiences that ignite curiosity, foster relationships and competencies with Human/Technology interactions, while building a diverse community of capable learners through empowered play.

 

Our Vision

To be the revolutionary platform of choice for educating the next generation of leaders in the 21st century.

 

Our Values

We believe that education needs to be fun, innovative, purpose driven, human-centered, and iSTEAM focused.

 

To bring iSTEAM or Leadership Development to your school, institution, or organization please contact us below.

Meet the Team

Omar Farooqui - CEO & President, Coded Minds Global

Omar Farooqui

Founder & President, Coded Minds Global

Meet Omar

Omar Farooqui

Founder & President, Coded Minds Global

Omar Farooqui is an entrepreneur, investor, and startup enthusiast. He is the Founder & President of Coded Minds. Wanting to disrupt the education industry from the ground up, not just through pedagogy but also price, through his vision of merging public and private education as one. With this mission, he created Coded Minds in 2017. Omar is a careered finance professional in a previous life spanning two decades. His two previous ventures were Green Sands Equity out of San Francisco and previously CapInvest (latterly CI Holdings), which was a joint initiative with the asset management arm of United Overseas Bank Singapore. He was also on the Mutual Funds Board of Saudi Fransi Capital for several years. His corporate life was split between Algebra Capital, Deutsche Bank & NCB Capital out of Saudi Arabia. An avid tennis player, he invests and ventures through his investment vehicle, Five Rivers Holdings.

john kao edgemakers coded minds circle

John Kao

Senior Advisor, Coded Minds Global

Meet John

John Kao

Senior Advisor & Council of Advisors, Coded Minds Global

John has been called "Mr. Creativity" and "A Serial Innovator" by The Economist. He is a thought leader, practitioner and advisor, who has played a leading role in the fields of innovation and business creativity for over 30 years. He taught at Harvard Business School for 14 years and also served as visiting faculty at the MIT Media Lab and Stanford. John's belief in the capacities of young people led him to launch EdgeMakers, a learning experience focused on innovative thinking.

Nik Zetouni, Manager, Online Education

Nikolas Zetouni

Head of Canada Operations

Meet Nikolas

Nikolas Zetouni

Head of Canada Operations

Nikolas Cavalheiro Zetouni holds a MSc in Laboratory Medicine and Pathology focused in Environmental Toxicology and a BSc in Biological Sciences.

For 8 years, Nikolas taught Sciences and Biology in his home country, Brazil, achieving 3 "Best Teacher Awards" in 3 different schools. Understanding how education can change people's lives, Nikolas founded and operated his own school, preparing undereducated students for Brazil's university admission exams.

Once in Canada, he changed career paths and obtained a MSc in Medical Sciences, another passion of his. During his 4 years at the University of Alberta, Nikolas won 8 research presentation awards, acted as a formal mentor to new students, and participated in 2 teaching assistantship programs.

Currently, he works for Coded Minds, North America, in Calgary, AB, Canada, where he develops innovative in-person and online courses, curriculum, acts as a subject matter expert in online delivery and creates engaging activities for students around the world.

Email Nikolas at nikolas@coded-minds.org.

Andres Porras - iSTEAM integration specialist (under me)

Andres Porras

iSTEAM Integration Specialist

Michele Hargreaves, Executive Director, People, Culture and Learning

Michele Hargreaves

Executive Director, People, Culture and Learning

Meet Michele

Michele Hargreaves

Executive Director, People, Culture and Learning

Michele Hargreaves is an Educational Designer and Wellness Coach with over 15 years of experience in the program development industry. She has a Diploma in Early Learning and Child Care with a focus on Environmental Design from Bow Valley College, graduating Valedictorian of her class.

Shortly after graduating, Michele's entrepreneurial spirit inspired her to build, own, operate, as well as consult in a number of educational programs locally and Internationally. Her main priority has always been towards re-energizing the physical environments and collaborative learning communities that young children and their mentors spend time in. Michele was recognized for her efforts in redesigning how early learning curriculum was created and delivered by being honored with the Alberta Childcare Award of Distinction.

As an integral part of the Executive team of Coded Minds Canada, she brings her skills in early childhood education, entrepreneurship, culture development, and environmental design to the online/digital education industry and to assist in shaping the future of global education.

Email Michele at michele@coded-minds.org.

Lin Farnholz, Executive Director, Business Operations

Lin Farnholz

Executive Director, Business Operations

Meet Lin

Lin Farnholz

Executive Director, Business Operations

For three years, Lin has been with Coded Minds Canada, encouraging growth and understanding in tomorrow's leaders. Through her efforts, Coded Minds has been able to build and maintain programs that exceed Alberta licencing standards.

From an educational standpoint, she has two Bachelor's degrees from Nipissing University. The first, a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in English; the second, a Bachelor of Education specializing in primary/junior division, or K through Grade 6.

On the personal side of things, Lin was a full time teacher and part time after school educator, but after the recession resulted in numerous cuts to the education industry, Lin sought a different kind of opportunity to continue encouraging growth in youth. This led her to Coded Minds, where her adaptability and problem solving skills have helped her grow in a company that she believes in and is passionate for.

She knows that a proper education with strong leaders is what this world needs, which has led her to believe another mantra: "We rise by lifting others."

Email Lin at lin@coded-minds.org.

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Ola Fasuba

Sales and Marketing Manager

Meet Ola

Ola is a Sales and Marketing Professional and Wellness Entrepreneur. Ola holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Psychology and a diverse scope of work experience spanning various sectors including: charities, insurance, financial services, and nutrition and fitness. Ola is passionate about personal development and making an impact in the world; in fact, she believes that is her purpose in life. Growing up as an immigrant and raised in a single parent household with three other children, Ola understands the importance of education and the innate ability it has to empower and elevate individuals beyond their circumstances. Her upbringing and personal mindset growth has made her who she is today. With over eight years of experience in Sales and Business Development, people often wonder why Ola chose a degree in Psychology. The reason is because Ola is enamoured with the intricacies of the human thought process. The edge Ola possesses is her eagerness to understand what the client’s wants and needs are and to deliver on them. Notwithstanding, her commitment to listening and solving problems. As the newest member to the Coded Minds Canada managerial team, Ola adds her impregnable leadership, speaking and presentation skills to the organization. She also brings her professional sales experience, marketing know-how and her ability to build lasting relationships to the Coded Minds organization in order to help expand Coded Minds territories and make an impact in more lives nationally and around the world."

Garima Chopra - Supervisor Tuscany

Garima Chopra

Supervisor

Meet Garima
My name is Garima Chopra. I have been working with children for the last 27 years and in childcare for the last 10 years. In addition to my ECE II, CDW, and almost-completed CDS, I also have a science and technology background. I am qualified with a Master’s in chemistry, M. Phil in soil Chemistry (2 year post-masters research program) as well as an honours diploma in systems management. This is my 4 th year working with Coded Minds since its conception time while the company was called STEM Learning Lab. I love working with children and watching them learn and grow. I love inspiring children to enhance creativity and wonder. My hobbies are yoga, gardening, reading, travel, and listening to music.
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Alyssa Pyrke

Supervisor

Meet Alyssa
My name is Alissa. I have been with iSTEAM since April 2018. I am the Supervisor at Simons Valley iSTEAM location. I have educational experience in script writing, Community Service with Addictions Worker, and I am currently finishing my Early Childhood Education. I love innovating and engineering. I have been working with children since 2007, but even with such a long history in childcare I find I am discovering new opportunities daily. I enjoy finding new and exciting ways to engage children in their own independent thinking in order for them to help discover who they are uniquely. I am big in project planning and love when children want to be engaged in the building process of the project so that their ideas are brought to light in a way for everyone to experience the shine.
Tazeen Naveed - ELCC Area Manager

Tazeen Naveed

ELCC Area Manager

Tara MacCormack - Supervisor Ramsay

Tara MacCormack

Supervisor

Meet Tara
My name is Tara MacCormack and I am the Program Supervisor for Coded Minds Ramsay! I have many years of experience working with children of all ages in various settings including before and after school childcare programs. I have a degree in Psychology, a diploma in Early Childhood Education, a certificate in Human Resource Management and am currently working towards my certificate in Children’s Mental Health at Mount Royal University. I believe learning should always be fun, engaging and life long and I love working with children and their families. I look forward to meeting each and every one of you!
Lena Anderson - ELCC substitute

Lena Anderson

ELCC Substitute

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Lucynda Mills

Supervisor

Meet Lucy
I have done various things in my life but my last position before I left England was having my own practice as a Clinical Hypnotherapist and NLP Counsellor, of which I did have children among my clientele. I came to Canada from England in 2007 and did a full time 2 year diploma in Child Care Education. After I gained my Diploma, I became Director of Daycares with over 100 children and 23 staff. Due to various circumstances, I decided to run my own business for 5 years which I retired from this year. I love working with children and inspiring them to enjoy learning. At this age they are little sponges, with such wonderful open minds, that it is a real joy and so rewarding to offer them as many interesting opportunities to learn without them even realising it. I am very Reggio influenced and like to show children how wonderful their planet is and how to treat each other equally and with respect. This year I am very excited to take on the position of Supervisor at Eric Harvie. I love working with children and ensuring we offer them as many aspects of education and life skills as possible so that they not open their minds to enjoy and have fun learning but to build them into the sort of people that we need to take us into a caring and happy 21st century
Ana McMillan-Assistant Supervisor Ramsay

Ana McMillan

Assistant Supervisor

Meet Ana
Hi! My name is Anastasia (Ana) and I am so incredibly excited to be a part of your children’s learning journey! I am eager to share your child’s learning experiences and create relationships with you! I am originally from Saskatchewan and moved to Alberta last year. I am currently enrolled in my second year of Elementary Education through the University of Regina. In my free time I enjoy reading, writing, travelling, visiting the zoo, and spending time with family and friends. I am so excited to be a member of Coded Minds; I cannot wait to see what this year has in store for us! Here’s to an exciting year of playing, building, learning and growing!
Aimee Bolton - Tuscany

Aimee Bolton

ELCC Educator

Meet Aimee
My name is Aimee and I have a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Saskatchewan. I majored in Science and Math and minored in English. I am able to tutor in all subject areas; my specialty is general science and biology. When it comes to high school subjects math is not an area I am most comfortable in but am able to tutor this subject with advance notice of what content is being covered. After graduation I spent two years in Cambridge, England teaching junior high and high school. When I came back to Canada, I taught grades four and five in Northern Manitoba. I also spent one year tutoring a child with autism. This past year I have been tutoring students in Calgary, Alberta in both elementary math and Biology 20. During this time, I have enjoyed working with all the students, during my time in the school system I spent many hours after school helping students with whatever subject they were having trouble with from reading to math and everything in between. I like to think outside the box when it comes to teaching. I like hands on activities as I myself learn better that way. When it comes to science and math, there are many activities you can do that are hands on, as well as making visuals. When doing science there are many hands-on experiments for every topic. Besides teaching, I love the outdoors, camping, hiking, skiing, swimming. I love winter so going sledding and skating on a frozen lake are great. I enjoy reading along with visiting with family and friends which are just a few more things that I enjoy.
Nujhat Adrita - Eric Harvie

Nujhat Adrita

ELCC Educator

Meet Nujhat
Born and raised in Bangladesh, I moved to Canada from the United States to pursue my Master’s degree at the University of Calgary. My interest in education developed since my recruitment at the Twin Lakes Elementary School at the Navajo Nation in the US. My master’s thesis specifies in adult learning and professional enhancement. My research interest lies in the field of indigenous studies, indigenous/non-indigenous relationship, adult learning and decolonization. I enjoy the lifelong process of teaching and learning as it helps us see things from various perspectives. My methods of teaching and learning are influenced by the 5 R’s--respect, relevance, reciprocity, responsibility, and relationships. I look forward to a joyful year and a safe learning environment!
Sara Calesso - Eric Harvie

Sara Calesso

ELCC Educator

Meet Sara
Hi, I am Sara Calesso and I am currently in my third year at Mount Royal University in the Bachelor of Child Studies majoring in Early Learning and Child Care. I currently am a Child Development Worker, and I have four years of experience with children of all ages. This is my second year with school age children in a before and after school program, and my second year with Coded Minds. Having the opportunity to work for Coded Minds has allowed me to fulfill one of my biggest passions in my career which is allowing children to learn new concepts through fun activities. I believe children are motivated to learn new concepts if it is done in a fun and engaging way, especially if they are allowed to get their hands dirty. Through play, we are able to see children’s interests and watch them grow emotionally, physically, and most importantly intellectually. I cannot wait to meet all the new families entering the program and see the returning families, and to create fun and engaging activities.
Sayeeda Tanvir - Eric Harvie

Sayeeda Tanvir

ELCC Educator

Meet Sayeeda
My name is Sayeeda Tanvir. I am from Bangladesh. I have been in Canada since September 2015. I have a Bachelor of Social Science in Psychology and Bachelor of Education Certificate. I have successfully completed the Early Learning Child Care Certificate course from Mcbride Career Group. I have nearly five years of experience working with children. I am passionate about helping children and seeing them grow. I enjoy working with children because it's fun and they represent hope and the future to me.In my free time I love to watch movies and comedy shows. I also love to spend time with my nephews and travel. I am so excited to be a member of the Coded Minds team. I am looking forward to helping and engaging activities with the children.
Anna Ang - Eric Harvie

Anna Ang

ELCC Educator

Meet Anna
My name is Anna Ang. I was born in Taiwan. I have two years of experience in childcare. I love to be with children. They give me hope and energy. During my free time, I do sewing, knitting, baking and biking. I am looking forward to working with my team members.
Asma Shehzad - Eric Harvie

Asma Shehzad

ELCC Educator

Meet Asma
My name is Asma Shahzad. I did my Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from Pakistan. I have 9 years of voluntary experience working with kids in various grades at Tuscany School and CBE in general for ONE year as a Lunch Supervisor. Also, I have been with Coded Minds as an ELCC Specialist for the last year and excited to join again within the same role. I look forward to helping kids learn and grow through trusted relationships and fun activities.
Brittney Stewart - Tuscany

Brittney Stewart

ELCC Educator

Meet Brittney
My name is Brittney. I have been working with children of various ages for the last five years in many environments from gymnastics to summer camps and now Coded Minds. I have been working with children from the ages of eighteen months to twelve years old. I have a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Law and Society and a minor in Psychology from the University of Calgary. I am starting my Bachelor of Education this year at St. Mary’s University to become an elementary school teacher. I adore working with children.The best part of working with children is seeing their confidence grow in one area, as this then transfers to all other areas of their lives. My goal is to ensure that each child feels safe and comfortable in their environment where there is mutual respect between staff and children. This positive relationship, between staff and kiddos, is key to see this confidence growth. I believe that children should be in an environment that is fun and engaging which is facilitated by caring teachers. I look forward to working with you and your family during this school year!
Demet Cakir - Eric Harvie

Demet Cakir

ELCC Educator

Meet Demet
My name is Demet Cakir. I am a dedicated, caring and responsible professional educator. I have a Bachelor Degree in English and obtained a Child Development Assistant Certificate. I have more than 15 years’ continuous experience in teaching, international education and administration, working with different ethno-cultural students and institutions organizing academic and non-academic programs, events and trips for students and families. I am very committed to the total development of my work. I am patient, upbeat and creative in designing specific programs to meet the needs of students. I have worked in many different countries such as Russia 2 years, Mongolia 5 years, India 7 years, Tunisia 4 years with children of all ages and families from different ethnic backgrounds. Therefore, I am multicultural and understand the challenges of dealing with students who have various backgrounds. Teaching is a passion of mine. I love hands-on activities to encourage students learning and promote creativity. Besides teaching, l enjoy making DIY projects, such as interior designing & decoration and cooking & baking. I strongly believe that my education, administration and work & life experience will absolutely help me for total contribution to development of my workplace and students. I am very much grateful to the CMC family for providing an opportunity to show my abilities, qualifications and experience which can be an asset to CMC.
Jaeeun Lee - Ramsay

Jaeeun Lee

ELCC Educator

Meet Jaeeun
My name is Jane and I am from South Korea. Before I came to Canada, I worked as an ESL teacher in my home country. I enjoyed planning activities and coming up with fun games to get kids motivated to learn. I started work as an ESL co-teacher at an elementary school and then moved on to work at a private kindergarten academy. After moving to Canada, I worked at an after school program and at a day home. The best part of my job is getting the kids excited to come everyday to do crafts, paintings and science experiments. I look forward to meeting the wonderful staff and children at the Coded Minds - iSTEAM Lab!
LiJun Zhou - Tuscany

LiJun Zhou

ELCC Educator

Meet LiJun
My name is LiJun Zhou. I have a B.A in Developmental Studies from University of Winnipeg in Manitoba. I learnt the big impact of quality child care and education programs on human development, family stability, and community well-being. In addition, I am a certified early childhood educator level 3 with four years of experience in child care centres. I was responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of children; helping children develop social skills, and encouraging children to explore their interests. I love working with children, it is my joy to see children grow and develop. I would use my care and my knowledge to enhance children’s interests, as well as assisting their families. I am excited to be part of the team, I am looking forward to learn and assist children with my knowledge; to provide children a fun and learning experience.
Desiree Dupuis - Ramsay

Desiree Dupuis

ELCC Educator

Meet Desiree
Hello Everyone! I come to Coded Minds with a Level One Certification for Childcare. The past 7 years, I have been an emotional agility coach working with adults and children teaching self awareness through mindfulness practices that include somatic awareness, contemplation, reflection and meditation. Recently, I completed the Mindful Educator Essential program with Mindful Schools. My goal over time is to include The Science of Mindfulness in the curriculum we provide in our after school care program. In addition to being a Teacher, I am a Mother, Poet, Writer, Seeker, Daughter, Sister and Friend. I adore this great big wonderful world! When I am not at Ramsay School, you may find me in my kitchen cooking a delicious meal for my children and friends. Deep conversations and big belly laughs with everyone well fed, brings me much joy. Being in the mountains, spending time with my horses, walking or riding in the forest accompanied by my pup, are some of the many things that fill my cup. As a caregiver and educator of your child, I believe I am an extension of you. Please feel free to make suggestions, ask questions and discuss any concerns you may have about your child, at any time.
Gopa De - Tuscany

Gopa De

ELCC Educator

Meet Gopa
My name is Gopa De. I graduated from Calcutta University in India with a Bachelor of Science degree and have also obtained an Electrical Designing and Drafting certificate from SAIT. Alongside my science background, I received the childcare level one certificate from Bow Valley College and have since then dedicated over ten years of my life working with children and loving every minute of it. My hobbies are my love for music, cooking, and spending time with my two kids. For the last three years I have worked at STEM Learning Lab and shared great moments while getting to know all of the staff and children!

Team Brazil

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Laura Reis

HA Marketing and social media specialist

Meet Laura
Cultural executive producer with 4 years of experience organizing festivals, congresses, events, shows and concerts. Teacher in the Brazilian public-school system for 2 years. Administrative assistant for 3 years of the actin/theater group MIDIACTORS. BSc in Performing Arts at the Federal University of Ouro Preto. Undergoing BSc in Philosophy and Ethics. Experience in technical, teaching, and management.
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Danilo Monteiro

HA Brazil office administrator

Meet Danilo
Graphic Designer technologist from FATEC. Undergoing Information Technology Management degree from FATEA. Experience as a poster design for supermarket chains. Served the Brazilian Army for 8 years as a Private and Corporal. Founded and administrated King’s burger.
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Marco Reis

HA volunteer

Meet Marco
Information Technology Management technologist from FATEA. Over 6 years of experience working on software development, Cyber security, database as a full stack developer. Administrated family owned beverage bar in his family’s hotel. IT enthusiast, self taught on several languages and computer sciences areas. Currently a volunteer seeking business opportunities for HA Brazil.

Tutor Booth

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Lean Blanh Andrade Silva

Data Analyst and Software Developer

Meet Lean
Lean Blanh Andrade Silva for 17 years has been involved with Infrastructure and Web Development projects in Brazil. For being passionate about Computing, Lean Blanh acquired solid knowledge about Web Development with many technologies and languages as PHP, CSS, HTML, JS, Python, and, SQL. He holds a BSc in Accounting and in the last 5 years worked as an auditor, 3 of them as a fraud investigator in one of the Big Four Companies, which connected to his IT previous experience provided him a holistic and strategic point view in Business day by day getting a good domain about BI environment and Data Analytics. Currently, he works for Coded Minds in Tutor Booth Project as Software Engineer helping the firm to reach the objective be a Data Driven Company.
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Faisal Ashour

Data Analyst and Software Developer

Meet Faisal
Eng. Faisal Ashour is working as a Military and Medical Simulation Engineer at the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs-King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences-Jeddah, specialized in the Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Artificial Intelligence with a bachelor degree in Modeling, Simulation, and Visualization Engineering and Masters in Health Informatics. His interest is in the merging of engineering and medicine through the use of modern technology in enhancing patient quality of life during their treatment journey and LMS in enhance medical providers skills and knowledge.

Questions?

For more information, or to inquire about bringing us to your school, email us at canada@coded-minds.org or click on the button to complete the inquiry form.

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