#MNPSvoices - Simar Perwer, Human Resources Specialist

From the Metro Nashville Public Schools:

October 21, 2020

Simar Perwer is one of the many examples of triumph over adversity who have passed through the halls of Metro Nashville Public Schools for decades.

Perwer has been with the district for the past seven years and currently serves as a human resources specialist. But her story with MNPS doesn’t begin there.

She was born in a refugee camp in Turkey, where she lived for the first four years of her life. This was following her family’s fleeing from Kurdistan, Iraq, during the Gulf War, often known as Desert Storm. Perwer and her family were able to relocate to the United States and settle in Nashville in 1992.

“I am grateful for the sacrifice my parents made to provide a better life for me and my five siblings,” she said. “It took them several days to walk from Iraq to Turkey to get us to safety.”

Following their relocation, both of Perwer’s parents were able to find employment with MNPS, and she progressed through the school system from pre-kindergarten through high school with the support of the MNPS English Learners department.

“MNPS took my family in with open arms when we moved here, and both of my parents were given the opportunity to work in support roles without knowing a word of English,” she said.

Her dad, Kamil Haji, who was a physician in Kurdistan, retired from MNPS in 2007, and her mother, Zehra Abdullah, is still employed with the district, at Haywood Elementary, after 25 years.

“I initially wanted to go into medicine, like my dad, but I found that blood makes me nauseous, so I thought I could help people in other ways,” Perwer said.

She took her desire to serve and headed to Tennessee State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in child development and family relations before landing her first role in the district at McMurray Middle School, where she had been a student herself. Perwer was excited to see some of the same staff who had helped and supported her during her years at McMurray still working there and helping other EL students.

“My parents made sure I learned Kurdish, so when I worked in the office at the school, I was happy to volunteer to assist families who didn’t speak English,” she said.

Perwer speaks three languages – Kurdish, Turkish, and English – and she and her husband are making sure their son is learning all three as well.

In her role as HR specialist, she wears a variety of hats and loves it. In normal times, she helps with onboarding new employees, customer service, and HR events, to name a few of her duties. But during the pandemic the HR department is also assisting families with technical support at Overton High School, her alma mater.

“I’m glad that my role changes from day to day, because I never get bored,” she said, adding that she gets joy out of serving in a department that first helped her parents find job placements in Nashville.

When Perwer is not hiking or enjoying outdoor activities with her husband and son, she can be found spending time with the animals on her dad’s farm.

This press release was produced by the Metro Nashville Public Schools. The views expressed are the author's own.