PirateQ 
Albaraa Basfar
Dr. Albaraa Basfar will travel back to Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, this May, where he will receive his doctorate and be recognized as the Distinguished Ph.D. Student in the university’s Education Studies program.
“I’ve very honored,’’ said Basfar, Pensacola State College Research Analyst in the Office of Institutional Research. “It was a lot of work.”
Basfar joined the College in November.
“The work was challenging to me at the beginning,’’ said Basfar, who moved to Pensacola with his wife, Hadeer Abualhotail, and daughters, Salam, 9, and twins Dana and Deema, 8.
“But I am learning. It’s a new experience for me. It’s my first full-time job.”
Basfar’s technical background includes data visualization, program evaluation, and quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method research.
His responsibilities at Pensacola State include compiling, arranging and presenting data reports for various programs and departments. Other duties include creating and analyzing surveys, Tableau visual dashboards and conducting data research relating to grants and accreditations.
Basfar’s Ph.D. specialization is Educational Research and Evaluation. He also holds two master’s degrees from Ohio University – one in Educational Leadership and another in Educational Evaluation and Research.
Basfar earned his bachelor’s degree in Islamic Law and Studies from King Abdulaziz University in his home city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the country’s commercial hub bordering the Red Sea, less than an hour away from Mecca, the holiest city in Islam.
“Pensacola is a very nice place,’’ he said. “But I miss my home. I miss my family.”
Also, Basfar’s wife has a master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Ohio University.
Basfar is used to traveling and has visited more than 30 countries. His father ran a nonprofit educational institution and traveled across the globe, often with his family. Basfar first visited the United States when he was about 6 years old.
“We truly loved the United States,’’ he said of his family. “It’s remarkable, the memories.”
As a child, he visited California with his family, visiting places like San Francisco and western farms.
Today, he is making new memories with his family in Pensacola – a place he wasn’t familiar with during his extensive job hunt.
“I knew nothing about it,’’ he said. “I was surprised it was in Florida.”
Now his children are attending a local elementary school and doing well, and the family has visited Pensacola Beach probably “10 times already.”
“I’m still discovering the area,’’ he said. “It’s a very encouraging environment.”