Leadership Team

Ali Arabaci commenced his teaching career at Irfan College in 2013 as the Qur'an teacher. Ali has taught various subjects including Islamic Studies and Personal, Development and Health, and was serving as the Well-being Coordinator prior to assuming the Principal's position in Term 3, 2016.

Ali has a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English Literature and a Master of Teaching specialising in Secondary. Ali is currently enrolled in a Master of Education course researching the topic 'Curriculum Models in Faith-based Schools in An Australian Context'.

Ali has a passion for community work, an interest in learning Classical Arabic, Theology and Philosophy, and is responsible for vision, strategy, staff and students at Irfan College.

Mustafa Ayvaz started at Irfan College in 2016. He is currently serving as the College's Deputy Principal and is responsible for the social and emotional well-being of staff and students at Irfan College.

Mustafa has completed a double degree in the Bachelor of Teaching and Bachelor of Arts majoring in Mathematics and a minor in Computing. Mustafa has also completed the Islamic Teacher Education Program (ITEP). He is currently enrolled in the Graduate Diploma of Education with a focus in Islamic studies. He is also serving within the Islamic Studies Committee working to enhance the College's approach towards a holistic education, in particular, the infusion of the Islamic Worldview into the Australian Curriculum.

Mustafa has a passion for community work, an interest in learning about the Islamic sciences and character development in children.

Before commencing at Irfan College in December 2012, Ahmet Taslak spent numerous years in the corporate world working for Macquarie Bank and Staples. Ahmet's desire to help others lead to his career change as he helped establish Irfan College in 2013. Since Day 1, he has been the back bone of the school and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the teaching staff can concentrate on teaching matters.

Upon completion of his Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance, Ahmet completed his Master of Business in Finance at the University of Technology, Sydney. Ahmet is also a Justice of the Peace.

In his downtime, Ahmet enjoys playing futsal, spending time with family and donating his time to community work.

Sameema has 28 years of experience as a teacher, Head of Commerce Department, HSIE Coordinator, High School Coordinator and Deputy Principal (Secondary) in public and independent schools. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree and Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of The South Pacific.

As a Coordinator and later Deputy Principal, she led faculties in the development and integration of best practice in teaching and learning. She has been strongly committed to the planning, programming and theimplementation of the curriculum and quality teaching and learning in order to see students' academic progress.

Sameema began at Irfan College from Term 4 2016 and is part of the College Executive Team. She is responsible for the teaching, learning and curriculum development at Irfan College and has worked towards the establishment of the secondary school. Sameema is also working with the Islamic Studies Committee to develop Irfan College's own authentic infused curriculum model.

Jena Yalcinkaya began her teaching career at Irfan College in 2018 as the Learning and Support teacher working with primary and secondary students. She is currently serving as the Secondary Curriculum Coordinator overseeing the development, implementation and monitoring of high-quality teaching and learning practices.

Jena has completed a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Business Law and a Master of Teaching specialising in Secondary education. She has spent the last 6 years within special education services across a range of settings, with a focus on Gifted and Talented education, more recently working with students faced with learning difficulties.

Jena has a passion for youth work and a keen interest in Behavioural Science and the Health and Development of Children and Adolescents.

Becoming a teacher was Mehtap's biggest passion in life and she knew this from the age of five. Mehtap obtained Bachelor of Teaching (Primary), Bachelor of Education and Master of Education degrees from the University of New South Wales and has been in the teaching profession since 1997.

Throughout her 20 years of teaching career, Mehtap has gained a wealth of experience working with primary and secondary students in diverse settings. She has planned and implemented programs for students with special needs, advanced learners, English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) and students with learning difficulties. Mehtap also has experience in teaching Turkish and Religion and Values.

Mehtap joined Irfan College late 2016 and has since been able to share her passion for education and endeavours to uphold the vision of the College by aiming to raise a generation of thinkers and leaders. Mehtap is currently the Curriculum Coordinator of Irfan College and is responsible for overseeing teaching, learning and curriculum development in Kindergarten Year 6 in conjunction with the NSW Education Standards Authority requirements. She is also the Instructional Leader for the Literacy and Numeracy Action Plan (LNAP) which focuses on upskilling literacy and numeracy development in the early years.