ITEP Student Profiles
Sara Bushman, a second year ITEP student, is active and interested in training design and delivery related to cross-cultural awareness, communications, and management. Sara currently works at Meridian International Center in the Professional Exchanges Division-International Visitor Leadership Program; she joined Meridian in 2005 after working in student exchange. Previous to student exchange, Sara spent five years in development and volunteer management, both domestic and abroad. Her areas of experience include: women’s rights, anti human-trafficking, youth empowerment, education, leadership, and cross-cultural training. In 2002, she received her B.A. in Psychology and Leadership from the University of Minnesota, and in 2008, will receive her M.A. in International Training and Education. Sara’s travels have taken her to twenty-one different countries, with a Peace Corp assignment in Togo. Languages include French and American Sign.
Daryn Cambridge, a second year ITEP student and ITEP Graduate Assistant, is interested in developing, promoting, and implementing experiential, global peace education programs that connect high school students from all across the world. Daryn has a professional certificate in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from the AU School for International Service. He is currently the Assistant Director for the Democracy Matters Institute (www.democracymatters.org), a non-profit, non-partisan organization that works with and trains college and high school students to do grassroots organizing around efforts to deepen America's democracy, focusing on the issue of private money in politics. After graduating from Middlebury College in 2003, Daryn worked for a number of youth-focused organizations: The Student Conservation Association, Putney Student Travel, and The Close Up Foundation, the nation's largest civics education and engagement non-profit. He has traveled to 24 countries throughout his life and studied in Oxford, England and Salzburg, Austria while in college.
Melissa Chipili , a second year ITEP student, is interested in the role of education in international development and the effects of student and professional exchange and study abroad programs for students of developing and transitioning nations. Along with her core ITEP courses, she plans on focusing her studies on International Development Education and Development Management. She hopes to work as a manager of international education programs. Melissa is currently employed at Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C. in the Africa Region. She is the Assistant Country Desk Officer for the East Africa Desk and works with the programs in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Ethiopia. In August 2007, she traveled to Uganda to assist with the Pre-Service training for a group of Community Health Volunteers and continued on to Kenya as part of a management support initiative for the Peace Corps program there. She also participated in the ITEP Bosnia Practicum in May 2007. Melissa volunteers as a guest evaluator and flight leader for the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) a student exchange program for high school students of the former Soviet Union. As an undergrad, she participated in the Semester-at-Sea program and spent a semester traveling to 9 different countries. From 1999-2001, she was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Russia and taught English and American Literature, reading comprehension, and essay writing at a teacher training college. In the future, she hopes to work for an international development agency in education programming.
Jacki Daddona, a third year ITEP student, is interested in study abroad and international student advising and hopes to pursue a career in this field. She currently works full time in the Anthropology Department at AU and hopes to eventually run an Alternative Spring Break trip. Before ITEP, she worked at the Kogod School of Business at AU and helped run their study abroad program to Nice, France. She studied abroad for a year in England and has traveled extensively.
Jenny Dickey, a second year ITEP student and ITEP Graduate Assistant, is interested in international exchange focusing on service based programs and multicultural and global curriculum development at the university level. She hopes to possibly pursue a PhD in the future. Before ITEP, she spent a year in Southern China teaching English to 700 students each week. She also led a five week project to Lesotho, Africa working with children orphaned due to HIV/AIDS through the school systems as well as local orphanages. In addition to these two experiences abroad, she also studied in England and Spain.
Brita Doyle, a third-year MA student, is focusing on international education exchange within the ITEP program. She currently holds a position as Study Abroad Advisor in the AU Abroad office, helping AU undergraduate students to pursue a semester or year of study abroad during their time at AU. Brita had her first international adventure as a Rotary Youth Foreign Exchange Student in Finland for her junior year of high school. After her return she received a Bachelors in Spanish Language and Latin American Studies, and was able to participate in two semester-long study abroad programs in Spain and Chile. She is interested in the behind-the-scenes work that makes study abroad programs successful, and enjoys working with students and encouraging them to expand their horizons through international study.
Theresa Ferry, a second year ITEP student, is interested in education policy, girls’ education, and higher education administration. During her first year of ITEP, Theresa worked as an education intern at Save the Children and she also works as an ITEP Graduate Assistant. During the summer of 2007, she interned with World Vision Albania, where she helped plan a 5-year education strategy with the sector manager. Before ITEP, Theresa taught high school math and English in India and Chile. She also taught math for two years in the Pacific Alliance for Catholic Education Program, where she earned an MAT. Her thesis examines how caste, economic status, and gender affect Dalit girls’ educational opportunities in India. Dalits, formerly known as ‘untouchables’, are one of the most marginalized groups in Indian society. In January, she plans to spend three weeks in Delhi and Gujarat, India, where she will visit schools with a large Dalit population and speak with girls about their educational experiences. Having the opportunity to travel internationally for her MA thesis will help her capture what Dalit girls have to say about their own education, and observe them in an educational setting. She is very grateful to have received a grant through the College of Arts and Sciences from the Robyn Rafferty Mathias Fund, which will cover most of her expenses for the trip.
Emily Gore, a second year ITEP student and ITEP Graduate Assistant, is interested in the field of International Education Exchange and hopes to work possibly with underrepresented groups. During the past year Emily volunteered tutoring immigrant women in English. She is also currently an intern at NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Before ITEP, she interned with her congressional representative and tutored Hispanic youth. She also worked at the University of Missouri-Kansas City's study abroad office. She has studied abroad in Cuernavaca, Mexico and Alicante, Spain and has traveled internationally.
Keerti Hasija, a third year ITEP student, is interested in intercultural competency, education and nation building, and institutional development for multi-ethnic populations. Currently, Keerti is an associate at Chartwell Education Group, a consulting firm focused on the systemic improvement of education domestically and globally. She focuses internationally on project development in South Asia and the Balkans, and domestically on Career and Technical education projects. Keerti has several years experience in global education development, working with the World Affairs Councils of America system and at the Southern Center for International Studies where she served as the primary research consultant for the South Asia in Transition program, developing essays, lesson plans and activities, and training educators to teach about South Asia, the Middle East and Africa . She is a graduate of the University of Georgia where she received degrees in Political Science, Journalism, and Comparative World Literature.
Samantha Hoyt, a second year ITEP student, is interested in rural education in Africa. She received a BA in International Affairs from the George Washington University, with a concentration in Africa. She spent a year studying abroad in South Africa, Egypt and Ghana. During this time she also taught English to Sudanese refugees. During her first semester as an ITEP student, Samantha worked as an intern in the Alternative Break office. She also has experience working with Washington Area NGOs in the areas of children’s issues and legislative lobbying. Samantha took part in the ITEP trip to Bosnia to evaluate a UNICEF project and spent a month in Mozambique mapping the education programs in the country. After ITEP, Samantha hopes to work as a Peace Corps Volunteer for two years. In the future, she would like to work with NGOs to obtain funding to build schools in rural communities in Africa.
Chipley Jones, a second year ITEP student, is interested in university-level international education, including study abroad and international student advising. She hopes to work for a university in Spain after graduation. Before ITEP, she was studying Spanish, Italian, business in her undergraduate program. She has studied abroad in Spain, Italy and Costa Rica, and has visited Morocco and Puerto Rico.
Farida Khatchadourian, a third year ITEP student, is pursuing dual Master’s degrees in ITEP and TESOL. Post-graduation, Farida plans to teach English abroad for several years before moving into teacher training, cross-cultural training, and program administration in international education. Farida is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and has studied at the University of Florence, Italy. Currently she works as an academic advisor to undergraduate students at American University. Prior to joining AU as a graduate student and staff member, Farida spent two years teaching at a small university in Mwanza, Tanzania with Jesuit Volunteers International.
Beth Larson, a first year ITEP student, is a director at Meridian International Center, a non-profit institution that promotes international understanding through the exchange of people, ideas and the arts. Established in 1960 and headquartered in Washington, DC, Meridian is unique in its dedicated role to non-partisan public diplomacy and offers a wide array of outreach, exchanges, and arts programs. The Educational Outreach programs provide curricula and resources to help DC public schools educate students about cultures around the world by using their five senses. By simulating the sights, touch, taste, sound and smells, students engage in learning about the world’s myriad of cultures and people. As Director, she manages all four programs, as well as develop community relationships and locate funding to increase the scope of our projects. The International Classroom program brings international students from D.C. universities into the classroom to give interactive presentations on their country and culture. We train the international students and then facilitate classroom presentations where students will learn geography, dance, language, see pictures, smell spices, etc…travel around the world without passports or plane tickets. We also have an International Resource Library where teachers can check out many different international resources including games, curriculum guides, music, stories, DVDs, etc. The library also includes over 42 Culture Boxes filled with regionally themed artifacts. Passports to the World is a free professional development workshop for teachers that focuses on the integration of global themes throughout all subject areas. Our department designs and implements this DCPS approved training where teachers receive credit toward renewing their teaching certificate. Finally, we coordinate a Festival in partnership with 18 embassies in the spring: The International Children’s Festival. In additional to exciting international performances, each embassy booth showcases their country and culture with exciting displays, exotic foods and engaging interactive activities for kids. For more information, feel free to visit www.meridian.org.
Emily T. Masonick, a first year ITEP student, hails from Chicago, IL and is a graduate of DePaul University. After completing a degree in Secondary Education and English in three years, Emily relocated to south Florida where she worked for the youth leadership organization, LeadAmerica. At LeadAmerica she co-developed a college-accredited personal development curriculum and facilitated trainings to over 4,000 high school students. Emily currently works at the Women & Politics Institute at American University. As the International Leadership Program Coordinator, designed a ten-day conference that was hosted this fall and attended by a group of female Russian delegates. Emily enjoys curriculum development and is specifically interested in experiential learning and using assessment tools to help learners better understand themselves. In the future she hopes to conduct trainings within the corporate sector involving teambuilding and communication so decision-makers are equipped with the tools to bring about positive change.
Cara Metell, a second year ITEP student, is interested in expanding study abroad opportunities to underrepresented groups of students, improving existing study abroad programs, and promoting intercultural sensitivity. She hopes to be an on-site director of an overseas program after graduation. Before ITEP, she was the program assistant of the International Affairs Dual-Major & International Exchanges and a study abroad advisor at the University of New Hampshire. She has participated in a cultural exchange with ZIA Dance Company to Russia, studied abroad in Granada, Spain, and received a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to Quito, Ecuador to conduct university studies and community service activities. She was also an interpreter on Rotary group-study and work trips to Venezuela and El Salvador and led a summer language-learning trip for teenagers to Spain with Putney Student Travel.
Kristin McCarthy, a second year ITEP student, is interested in student exchange, foreign language instruction, and education in emergencies. Before ITEP, she established a Spanish language program for 2nd through 8th graders at an elementary school in New Jersey and taught for two years. She spent two semesters studying Spanish language and culture in Spain, and participated in volunteer trips visiting an orphanage in Mexico and working with a low-income housing project in Texas. During the summer of 2007, Kristin joined the group of ITEP students who worked as consultants for UNICEF in Bosnia, evaluating child-centered teaching methods being implemented in the elementary schools. She would like to gain experience in educational development working with an international NGO, and would also like to someday return to the classroom teaching Spanish.
Aimee Oberndorfer, a third year ITEP student, specializes in conflict and post-conflict education development. She is particularly interested in education for vulnerable populations, emergency education, and the connections between education and peace building. Prior to ITEP, Aimee worked as a program manager in a mental health clinic serving the immigrant and refugee communities of Washington, DC. Her extensive work in non-formal education includes cross-cultural, family, and early childhood education. She received a certificate from the International Trauma Studies Program at Columbia University, through which she spent Spring 2007 working in Sudanese refugee camps in Uganda doing community education. Upon completion of this program, Aimee worked with the internally displaced of northern Uganda doing psychosocial work and education development. She has also studied abroad in Jerusalem, volunteered in orphanages throughout Vietnam and researched narrative, education and the effects of collective trauma in the Marshall Islands.
Regina (Schuman) Rabenhorst, 2007 ITEP alum and former ITEP Graduate Assistant, currently works at Chemonics International as a Program Associate in the Corporate Training Department. While in ITEP, she worked for the Humphrey Program, an international visitor program for mid-career law professionals working for human rights, where she planned and delivered a month long orientation program with a co-worker as well as planned events. Before ITEP, she managed an education and training program for out-of-school and out-of-work youth in San Francisco. She also spent 3 months as a volunteer with Pe No Chao, a Brazilian non-profit working with street children in Recife, Brazil, and one year studying Latin American economic development at the University of Costa Rica. She has traveled extensively through Central America, the Caribbean, and Brazil. Regina holds a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.
Kimberly Ross, a first year ITEP student, hails from Maine and holds a B.A. in Anthropology from St. Michael's College in Vermont. She is interested in multi-sectoral interventions for international development, and is focusing on training and education for Organizational Development. She currently works full-time as a Senior Program Officer at an international non-governmental organization, where she designs and supports projects in sub-Saharan Africa. Kim has almost ten years of experience in international education and health including: working at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID); consulting for World Education, Family Health International, and Opportunities Industrialization Center International; and teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) for adult immigrants in Washington DC and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guinea, West Africa. She has spent time in 25 countries worldwide (primarily in Africa), with her most recent trip being to India as a participant in AU's Winter 2007 Alternative Break trip on the Dalit Rights Movement. She is fluent in English and French.
Nicholas Sakurai, a second year ITEP student, is interested in social justice movement building, human resource education, organizational development, sexualities, diversity, and power. He hopes to work towards building the social justice movement through education. He currently works as a full-time professional for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally Resource Center at AU. Before ITEP, he worked for a non-profit in Washington, DC, directing an initiative that advocated for access to higher education for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) college students through training students across the country on grassroots organizing skills and by bringing the student voice to national coalition meetings on a variety of issues including marriage, immigration, and transgender issues. He has traveled in Japan, Mexico, Canada, the Netherlands, England, Germany, France, and Greece. This past summer, he worked full-time, traveled to Mexico, and met with the director of a progressive Spanish language school that uses Freirian methodologies offering specialized programs for gay and lesbian populations. He also attended an international lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) human rights conference in Montreal and designed an orientation session for international students about LGBT issues in US culture.
Amy Simms, a first year ITEP student, is interested in the impact of international exchange programs on participants and their host communities. Before joining ITEP Amy worked as a textbook editor, copywriter, and Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan. While in Peace Corps she taught English to 6-11 graders, created an English language library in her village, developed a conference for local English teachers, trained incoming volunteers on team teaching skills, and ran an English summer camp where local students spent a week speaking English and learning about other countries. After graduating she hopes to work for an international organization increasing opportunities for exchanges both to and from the United States.
Valerie Whiting, a second year ITEP student, is currently on a leave of absence from the program. She is serving as a Crisis Corps Volunteer in Antigua and Barbuda, working with the Ministry of Health’s AIDS Secretariat as an HIV/AIDS educator and graphic designer. She works with youth groups to conduct community research and redesign the Secretariat's educational materials to be more culturally appropriate while also piloting a community education program for Spanish-speaking immigrants and advising in the development of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) two-year report in order to properly use indicator guidelines. Valerie's passions are youth development and non-formal education programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. After graduating from St. John's College in Annapolis, MD in 2000 Valerie worked in Panama as a Peace Corps Volunteer with at-risk youth and women's groups. Drawing from her experience in Panama, working as Case Manager at the Latin American Youth Center YouthBuild Public Charter School in Washington, DC and acting as Youth Programs Director for Community Bridges in Silver Spring, MD, Valerie's goal is to open a direct career and education center for out-of-school, at-risk youth in Panama.
Hana Yoshimoto, a third year ITEP student, is interested
in training program design and sector analysis for tertiary education in Africa. She
was an Intern at the American Council for UN University in Washington, DC from
2005 to 2006, an Intern at the UNDP in the New York City Headquarters for the
summer of 2006 and currently works at the World Bank. Before ITEP, she
worked at Goldman Sachs in Tokyo, dealing with foreign bond cash transactions
and related communications among the firm, clients, and other financial
agents. She was mainly was responsible for calculating coupon rates for
complex financial products and transferring funds to clients' accounts. She
has lived in Sydney, Australia for four years, studied at a Japanese university
in Tokyo, and volunteered in Cambodia during undergrad. In ITEP, she
appreciates the practical curriculum, the practitioner focused professors,
the small size of the program, and the experience students bring to the classroom.
