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Suleika Jaouad's father, Hedi, was a Native of Tunisia, while her mother, Anne, was a Swiss artist.
Suleika is perhaps best known for her appearances on TED Talk as a speaker and for stepping into the spotlight after recently revealing she married Jon Batiste.
She is a writer, activist, and motivational speaker from the United States. She is also the bestselling author of the memoir Between Two Kingdoms and a columnist for the New York Times's Life, Interrupted.
Jaouad's other work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, Vogue, and others.
Name | Suleika Jaouad |
Age | 33 |
Born | 5 July, 1988 |
Birthplace | New York City |
Father | Hedi Jaouad |
Mother | Anne Farncey |
Spouse(s) | Jon Batiste(m. 2022) |
Nationality | American |
Education | Princeton University, Bennington College |
Occupation | Writer |
Net Worth | $5 million |
Who Are Suleika Jaouad Parents?
Suleika Jaouad was born to her Tunisian father, Hédi, and a Swiss mother, Anne Francey, in New York.
Her dad, Hédi Jaouad, was a Tunisian-born French professor at Skidmore College. She has spent the majority of his adult life in the United States, where he has worked as a French professor at Skidmore College since 1989.
He was, however, born and raised in a North African country. Tunisia was still a French colony when Jaouad was a child, and native Tunisians were marginalized.
Suleika's grandfather supported his family of seven children by working as a local government courier. Following independence, the country's first leader invested in education and advocated for women's rights.
Tunisia was a standout along the North African coast. But it came at a cost, according to Jaouad. The government spied on its people, there was no free press, and corruption flourished. Jaouad attended the University of Tunis before studying abroad. He first returned home to teach English, but America piqued his interest.
While working as a translator at the United Nations, he met his wife, Anne Francey, a Swiss artist. Suleika, a recent Princeton University graduate, and Adam, a Skidmore junior, are the couple's two children.
Suleika often acknowledges her father for all the support and education he has provided to her. She thanked her father after graduation for not allowing her to drop out of college to move to the Gaza Strip for a boy.
Suleika is now a professor at Columbia University. She commemorates the memory of her dad during his 72 birthday in 2020. She mentioned the suitcase he had given him, which contained some of his work, scripts, and manuscripts.
Though it was painful for her to open the suitcase after her father passed away, she mustered the courage and shared her emotions with her followers.
Suleika Jaouad Is The Wife Of Jon Batiste
Suleika Jaouad marry Jon Batiste in February 2022 right after she was re-diagnosed with leukemia for the second time. Now, Batiste claims she's "doing better."
"We got married the day before I was admitted to the hospital for my bone marrow transplant," she explained.
The couple wanted to get married from the first week they started dating and finally tied a knot after eight years of relationship. Despite the fact that the couple married before her bone marrow transplant, Jaouad, 33, said her diagnosis had no bearing on Batiste's decision to propose.
Batiste and Jaouad got married quickly and had a "tiny" and "perfect" wedding, adding that they "used bread ties" instead of traditional wedding rings.
She began her first day of chemo eight days before the 2022 Grammy nominations were announced, describing her second battle with leukemia as "far more aggressive than it had been a decade ago." She is finally back home after receiving chemo and says she will be brainstorming newsletter topics.
Suleika Jaouad And Jon Batiste Relationship Timeline
In a 2020 Instagram post, Jaouad explained that they first met when she was 13 and he was 14 in a band camp that he described as "the most awkward place on earth".
They reconnected when Batiste paid her a visit to the hospital while she was being treated for leukemia.
During an interview with PEOPLE Every Day, Batiste revealed that his relationship with Jaouad inspired his emotional song "Show Me the Way."
He also mentioned that their bond had grown stronger during quarantine. "There has been so much loss that we have faced individually and collectively," he said.
"But I find this time has also been a blessing in that it gives us a break to be with each other."
Jaouad announced in her newsletter on December 1, 2021, that her leukemia had returned, and she was undergoing chemotherapy, with a bone marrow transplant planned.
On CBS Sunday Morning, Batiste and Jaouad revealed that they secretly married in February 2022, ahead of her bone marrow transplant. They chose to marry in their own home because "it has been a place we go to replenish our soul."
Suleika Jaouad Is An American Writer With Net Worth $10 Million
Suleika Jaouad is an American writer and motivational speaker with an estimated net worth of $10 million.
Jaouad, like her husband, Jon Batiste, is a true multi-hyphenate.
Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted, her best-selling memoir, "traces her journey from diagnosis to remission and, ultimately, a road trip of healing and self-discovery."
Her memoir, published in 2021, was a New York Times Best Seller. Jaouad's essays and reported features have also appeared in a number of publications, including The Atlantic, The Guardian, Vogue, and NPR.
She is a skilled painter as well as a talented writer and has previously been an artist in residence at ArtYard, Ucross, and the Kerouac Project. She announced her 100-Day Project in March 2022, in which she planned to create an original painting every day for 100 days while undergoing treatment.
She documented the challenge on Instagram, posting photos of her completed work as well as photos of her painting from her hospital bed. Jaouad also shares her story through various speaking engagements around the world. Her TED Talk on life after cancer has received nearly five million views.
Suleika Jaouad Is A Cancer Advocate And Committed To Charitable Work
Jaouad has turned her cancer experience into advocacy and now works to assist those affected by the disease.
She has served on Barack Obama's Presidential Cancer Panel, the Bone Marrow and Cancer Foundation, and the Family Reach national advisory board.
She is also deeply committed to other charitable causes and issues such as social justice, prison reform, and others. She received the Red Door Advocacy & Community Service Award, and she and Batiste were honored by the Brooklyn Public Library for their contributions to music and literature.
Suleika Jaouad Education
Jaouad has two degrees at first, she attended The Juilliard School's pre-college double bass program, according to her website.
She went on to receive a B.A. from Princeton University, where she was a member of the University Orchestra, and an MFA in writing and literature from Bennington College.
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