The day’s learning was devoted to the Civil Rights activist’s life and legacy
January 21, 2026
International students are one of many groups Dr. Zayer Baazaoui helps to feel seen, supported and connected at St. Paul’s School
BY IAN ALDRICH
The diverse student body of St. Paul’s School hails from 30 countries outside the United States, including China, South Korea, Singapore and New Zealand. For many students, says Dr. Zayer Baazaoui, the School’s new director of international support, being that far away from home can be a significant adjustment.
“We have students who are leaving home for the first time who are as young as 13 years old,” says Baazaoui, who also teaches French at the School. “So it’s really important that we make them feel like they belong here. That this is a very inclusive space and a safe space, where they can express themselves and share their identities and their culture.”
Baazaoui has some sense of that experience himself. Originally from Tunisia, he came to the United States in 2015 to enroll at the University of Miami, where he completed a PhD in Literary, Cultural, and Linguistics Studies with a focus on French Studies. It was a big transition, one that forced him to acclimate quickly, and he draws heavily from that experience — of starting over, of creating a new home, of fostering a sense of community — in his work at SPS.
“I went through a lot of the things our [international] students are going through,” he says. “I know the paperwork involved to get here, and I can certainly relate very much to what it feels like to leave your parents behind and come to this country to pursue an education.”
It was good fortune that allowed Baazaoui to find his own sense of home at SPS. After finishing his graduate work, Baazaoui was certain he wanted to teach but had initially focused on college and university opportunities. Then, in the spring of 2021, he stumbled across a posting for St. Paul’s — and a whole new world opened up to him.
“I knew there were private independent schools, but a fully residential boarding school, I didn’t know this type of institution existed before,” he says. “I didn’t understand until I came here what it meant to live on campus with the students and be so close to their lives.”
The connections that we build with students I don’t think would be possible in any other educational context or setting.
— Dr. Zayer Baazaoui
But Baazaoui quickly appreciated what the setting afforded him. Beyond the convenience of his life at SPS — “I love living just two minutes from the classroom,” he says with a laugh — Baazaoui values all the different ways he can intersect with his students’ experiences.
“The [Sixth Form’s] theme of this year is presence, and for me this is very important because not only are we teachers physically present for them, we also must be present for them mentally and emotionally,” he says. “The connections that we build with students I don’t think would be possible in any other educational context or setting.”
Baazaoui’s commitment to promoting inclusivity at SPS has placed him at the center of many important aspects of campus life. He’s an adviser to the LGBTQI+ and Gender and Sexuality Alliance Mosaic groups. He’s also the faculty point-person for the School’s interfaith group and its Muslim Society. This year, in addition to stepping in as director of international support, Baazaoui also became head of Middle House.
“I think it’s very important for me as a queer person, as someone who understands the importance of feeling seen and feeling appreciated for who I am, to help these kids feel the same way,” he says. In that sense, Baazaoui sees SPS as a model for how people from all different walks of life can come together and build a healthy community. “These different backgrounds aren’t an obstacle. They’re a plus and they should be valued that way.”
In his free time, Baazaoui likes to be outdoors. He’s an avid gardener, hiker and photographer. And in his new life in New England he’s come to love something he’s never had before in his life: a change of seasons.
“I’m always excited for that first snowstorm,” he says. “I know some people don’t like winter but I think it’s beautiful. And being outside, walking around this campus, makes me appreciate that beauty because it’s all around you.”
Baazaoui, in other words, has found a home here.
