On behalf of the 2021 Council of Advisors Nominations Committee, we pleased to announce the six (6) candidates for the Council of Advisors.
The Council is comprised of 15-20 members divided between U.S. members and non-U.S. members. They serve ISEP by providing advice and opinions to the ISEP Global Office and the ISEP Board of Directors on matters concerning membership, programs and procedures. They support communications between all ISEP coordinators and the ISEP Global Office. Between one (1) and six (6) vacancies on the Council of Advisors will be filled through this election.
Instructions:
- Please review information on each candidate below.
- All ISEP coordinators may vote for both U.S. and International candidates.
- You may vote for up to six (6) candidates. Please make sure you vote for at least 1 U.S. Coordinator
- Only one vote is permitted per member institution.
VOTE HERE by April 1, 2021 11:59 ET
ISEP Council of Advisors Candidates
Up for Reelection
Sarah Barr | Director of of Global Engagement
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Marcos Avilez | Director of International Relations
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso
Ingela Åberg | Senior Internationalization Officer
Linnaeus University
New or Returning Candidates
Leticia Kahya
San Diego State University Global Education Advisor
My name is Leti Kahya and I am currently a Global Education Advisor at San Diego State University. I am the ISEP Coordinator for our campus and have been in this role for the past three years. I am happy to be working at my alma mater where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies and Comparative Literature.
I have been working in the field of international Education for the past eleven years both domestically and internationally. After participating on a faculty led tour in Italy, I knew I wanted to explore the world by moving beyond the tourist lens. My initial plan was to live abroad for a year and that plan turned into six years. I moved to Prague to complete the TEFL certificate which allowed me to take positions in Taiwan, China and Turkey working at language schools and universities.
I returned to the United Stated to complete a master’s Program in International Education and Intercultural Relations which gave me an academic foundation to process my time abroad as well as prepare me for other areas. My focus then turned to study abroad.
Working on collaborative projects and discussing current trends and exploring problems and offering solutions is how I like to contribute to the field. I was on the 2019-2020 Diversity Abroad Task Force for Religious Identity. That same year I served as the Co-Chair of the International Education Committee at San Diego State.
Why is ISEP a valuable partner to your university?
SDSU is currently ranked #1 in California and #8 in the U.S. for sending students abroad according to the latest Open Doors report. This is in large part due to the large portfolio of programs in the ISEP network. Our student body is quite diverse and ISEP offers many programs that meet the needs of many of our students that go beyond the academic components. The staff is communicative and responsive so when I need help with a student that wants to bring their family, I have reached out to ISEP to see which programs offer the best housing situations. ISEP serves not only our students but our campus community. Many of the academic departments have connected with ISEP staff to help with course articulation efforts. The In-depth coordinator has helped our office become more familiar with the programs and gives us promotional materials to help market to students. These extra layers of support have been especially helpful as our staff has been scaled down during the pandemic.
What do you hope to contribute as a member of the Council of Advisors?
I am grateful to work in a career that aligns my personal values with my professional goals. I welcome the opportunity to expand my knowledge base and connect with others who place such importance on the same principles. Representing a large public institution gives me a specific perspective. Participating in this council would allow me to learn more about the needs of other institutions and offices to see how we can all support each other in better ways within the ISEP network. The field of international education is built on the exchange of ideas and learning more about each other which is what this council represents.
Carlos Santos e Sousa
University of Bradford International Opportunities Coordinator
I am an international higher education senior specialist and study/work abroad coordinator with wide-ranging experience in international network expansion, partnerships development and institutional representation, bid writing and evaluation, budget management, fee-paying overseas visiting students’ recruitment, international exchange programme management, study/work abroad guidance, and international student support and well-being.
Between 2004 and 2014, I worked in a European Agency in Portugal supporting Erasmus mobilities and formation of Consortia for implementation of internships abroad; and I have supported higher education institutions in capacity building projects with the EU neighbouring countries. Since 2014 I have been working in the United Kingdom, first at Middlesex University (London) and currently at the University of Bradford (North of England). In my current role, I have managed to secure £2M of external funding to support exchanges under the Erasmus+ Programme; increased the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds participating in international opportunities; increased the number of international exchange partnerships; participated in several external working groups focusing on the value of short-term mobilities, the benefit of internationalisation at home, and I was part of the working group that contributed to the design of what today is known as the Turing Scheme.
I thrive as an international higher education transformation specialist that embraces change and diversity in competitive environments and explores excellence in international opportunities focusing on client needs.
Why is ISEP a valuable partner to your university?
I am working in a small University in the North of England (UK) with around 10,000 students. 83% of our students going abroad are from disadvantaged backgrounds, minority groups, first-generation going into higher education, and, for some of them, it is the first time going abroad or going abroad alone. To support our students, the University awards a scholarship of £3,800 to all students accepted by ISEP. The ISEP Network to study or intern abroad is reassuring for our students from widening participation backgrounds with fewer opportunities because it ringfences unexpected expenses, assures the process will be smooth and the opportunity safe, and the impact on their academic and employability prospects is high.
Overall, ISEP offers our students access to more than 350 universities around the world as well as to virtual and in-person internships. The programme has a robust application process collecting all the essential information to make the opportunity both safe and unforgettable; it has a compelling package offering accommodation, meals, and volunteering/work during the experience abroad; and has an excellent team supporting the student’s health and wellbeing for the entire duration of the experience abroad. During my time working at the University of Bradford, I have been disseminating ISEP as a network the enriches students’ lives by opening their minds to a world of opportunities. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds undertaking Management, Psychology, Forensic and Archaeology, Computer Science, Law, and Peace Studies programmes have had the opportunity to study abroad in a top university worldwide due to ISEP – that’s why ISEP is valuable to my University.
What do you hope to contribute as a member of the Council of Advisors?
With my experience and knowledge, my main contribution would be supporting the Council of Advisors with the implementation of their strategy and goals for ISEP. To this end, I believe I have three strengths: first, with an experience of more than 16 years working in higher education and education abroad, both with Study/Work Abroad and Exchange Partnerships, I can bring insight into the current higher education trends in the UK, Europe, and other countries in the World. Second, I would strongly advocate for further opportunities for or to increase the participation of students from disadvantaged backgrounds as I have seen first-hand how these opportunities through ISEP have helped shape these students’ futures. Third, with the UK withdrawal from the Erasmus+ Programme, this is a good opportunity for the ISEP Programme to gain terrain into UK Universities, opening doors to a network of 350 worldwide Universities, or to connect itself with the Turing Scheme to welcome students to Study/Intern Abroad.
Tiffany Gabbard
California State University San Marcos Assistant Director for Study Abroad
I am currently approaching my 16th year as a study abroad advisor, having studied abroad in Siena, Italy through the UC Education Abroad program as an undergrad, and in London, England as a grad student. I love literature and writing, having earned my first Master’s degree in English, the second in Education for Student Affairs Leadership. Like everyone in the field of international education, I am enamored with the world, travel, and seeing the beauty of other cultures. Many of my own travels have become what I call “author treks,” wherein I seek to visit the homes of famous authors and get a glimpse of what their daily life and society must have been. (If I would’ve been allowed a 3rd or 4th major, I surely would have chosen History & Languages). I also love getting out into nature, working on language study, discovering local art/artisanry, shopping, cooking, and baking! I truly love being an advisor and seeing firsthand the transformative power of the study abroad experience in my students, and all the ways a simple glimpse of the world has really opened their minds, their possibilities, and their greater sense of purpose on the world stage.
Why is ISEP a valuable partner to your university?
ISEP’s “Live Like a Local” tagline resonates with the type of experiences I would hope each and every one of my students could afford, wherein they are able to really engage with the local community and give back as much as they might receive in their overseas experience. I appreciate ISEP’s commitment to diversity, both in its array of international members and the commitment it makes to unique types of experiences, including volunteer, intern, and service learning components. Beyond that, I know I have a tremendous worldwide network of resources I can rely on when students ask questions I might not be able to answer, or in finding the perfect program fit for a non-traditional student. I can trust that ISEP has the best interest of the whole student in mind as it considers its programming.
What do you hope to contribute as a member of the Council of Advisors?
If offered a position on the Council of Advisors, I would hope to offer some insights into areas in which I have had tremendous success: faculty-led programming and sending diverse students to diverse locations abroad. While I know ISEP remains primarily a mechanism for student mobility and exchange, I think the network provides a unique platform for members to engage with one another, share resources, and create learning/engagement opportunities of both faculty and students. I am always one for new ideas and sharing of information, especially as it relates to the creation of something meaningful, sustainable and valuable to all involved. I think ISEP is poised to enter the world of short-term faculty led programming (the most popular current trend in study abroad) as well as be a leader in making faculty connections through collaborative online learning or even faculty exchange. I would truly enjoy brainstorming with other members to share best practices and discover new mechanisms for study abroad that benefit the community, and perhaps more importantly, the student learner, as a whole.
Emma Swift
University of Vermont Associate Director, Office of International Education
I am the Associate Director of the Office of International Education at the University of Vermont in the United States. In this role, I lead the international student and scholar services team and provides leadership in an office which includes study abroad and faculty led travel/study courses. Part of this work includes overseeing the processes and advising of UVM’s incoming exchange students.
Outside of UVM, I have presented and published within and outside of international education and has held regional and national roles for NAFSA (Association of International Educators). I completed my undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where I also worked in the office of International Student and Scholar Services for several years. I have lived, studied, and worked abroad, including six years in Germany, a college study abroad experience in Granada, Spain, and before moving to Vermont I worked at Trường Đại học Quy Nhơn in southcentral Vietnam as a Fulbright fellow. In my free time, I enjoy biking the bike trail in Burlington, improving my Portuguese skills so that I can keep up with my bilingual toddler, and finding creative ways to spend the winter months in Vermont.
Why is ISEP a valuable partner to your university?
ISEP is a valuable partner to the University of Vermont’s international education portfolio by making educational exchanges immersive, affordable, and diverse. We have been a member institution since the early 1980’s, and the partnership has allowed our students - both inbound and outbound - to have meaningful experiences at institutions around the globe through the ISEP network.
By helping to level the cost of education abroad from institutions with a broad geographic reach, the mobility from ISEP shakes off some of the socioeconomic constraints so often embedded within international education. ISEP membership has allowed our students on the outbound side to spend a semester or year at institutions where UVM would not be able to sustain a bilateral partnership but at which that particular student can find their ideal academic match. It has also allowed us to bring in a tremendously diverse and engaged international student population who bring to our campus and community their experiences and viewpoints. The immersive nature of ISEP exchanges means that students will be pushed to learn and be challenged in their understanding of the world in ways that are critical to an engaged and aware global community.
What do you hope to contribute as a member of the Council of Advisors?
I have worked with ISEP as a partner institution for the past nine years and would be honored to join in dialogue to support the ISEP network as we collectively navigate international education during and beyond the pandemic, and to support ISEP with partner-institution perspectives that inform how decisions are made in this value-driven organization.
To the Council of Advisors, I bring a collaborative spirit with the common goal of accessible and high-quality educational experiences. The challenge of finding solutions and building processes that work for students coming and going from very different types of institutional structures requires creative and collaborative problem-solving. I am a systems-driven thinker and would leverage that approach when discussing process improvements within the Council, with a particular eye to identifying opportunities to simplify processes to improve access.
Rosalind Boniface
Aix-Marseille University Director of International Cooperation
I studied dual honours French and German at Sheffield University (UK) with a one-year period of study abroad in France and Germany. That experience gave me first-hand knowledge of intercultural issues and culture shock and was decisive for my future choice of career as an international educator. Moving to France in 1984 after graduating, I started at the International Relations Office of Aix-Marseille University in 1996 and was appointed ISEP coordinator in 1998. I am currently Director of International Cooperation.
As a board member of ISEP France+, a network of the 15 Francophone ISEP members (France + Switzerland), I am strongly involved in the strategic development of the network and actively participate in the promotion of ISEP France+ and ISEP Global (site visits, NAFSA, EAIE, APAIE…). I am also an evaluator of session and workshop proposals for the NAFSA annual conference.
I have served on the Council of Advisors from 2007 to 2013 and chaired both the Council and its Events Committee.
Why is ISEP a valuable partner to your university?
ISEP offers a wide range of possibilities, at an affordable cost with a great support system from ISEP Global staff and members
What do you hope to contribute as a member of the Council of Advisors?
Through this self-nomination, I would like to reaffirm my dedication to the ISEP community and, once again, put my experience at the service of the membership and the managing team.
Chloe Green
University of Roehampton Study Abroad Manager
After completing a study abroad semester in Australia, I knew that study abroad was something that was so enriching and important and so many students overlooked the opportunity or were unaware of it. I wanted to reach out to more students, informing them of all of the wonderful opportunities available to them and helping more people have access to study abroad opportunities. Having worked at Oxford Brookes University for two years in the study abroad team, I moved to the University of Roehampton, where I have been for the last three years. During my time at Roehampton, I have increased the number of outgoing students by 180% and have helped shape a new Outward Mobility Strategy aiming to remove barriers to participation, increase funding and get more of our students out and abroad than ever before. I am currently finishing my MA in International Education part time, in which I have had the opportunity to research the importance of re-entry programming for study abroad students, as well as the effect of study abroad on degree classification. In my current role at Roehampton as Study Abroad Manager, myself and my team have been welcoming students to our semester, summer, J term and custom programmes. My aim is to ensure every single Roehampton student has access to some sort of international opportunity as part of their degree programme and that we continue to internationalise our campus by welcoming lots more study abroad students to us at Roehampton.
Why is ISEP a valuable partner to your university?
The University of Roehampton is made up of an undergraduate student body of 77% from at least one underrepresented group. ISEP has given these students the opportunity to study abroad for the price of attending Roehampton, when they would not be able to afford a typical study abroad experience. The accessibility to programmes, alongside the ISEP scholarships, has helped to remove barriers to participation and allowed our students to partake in great quality, life changing experiences.
The support and advising Roehampton students receive is invaluable. With ISEP, our students are treated as individuals and not just another student going through the motions with a price tag on their heads. We are extremely grateful to ISEP for continuing to promote our programmes and send us a host of students from all over the world to study at Roehampton, helping to internationalise and diversify our campus.
ISEP have allowed us to collaborate to develop new exciting programmes for students, giving us creative freedom to develop different offerings for students to try and cater for as many students as possible. We have also been able to share best practice with colleagues all over the world and are so grateful for the support that not just the students receive, but also our team receives from ISEP and the ISEP community.
What do you hope to contribute as a member of the Council of Advisors?
Given the student body of Roehampton, I hope to contribute knowledge of how we can diversify study abroad programmes and ensure that we are doing everything possible to get as many of our students out and studying abroad. I want to help contribute to the rebuilding of the study abroad sector, ensuring that good quality study abroad programmes and experiences are accessible and affordable for all. I would like to develop my experience in the field and utilise the knowledge gained in my MA International Education to ensure programmes are meeting the needs of Gen Z and the new world we live in. I want to continue supporting colleagues around the world and ensure that we are all able to share best practice and collaborate to get our students back out and studying abroad again in the safest way possible and can use my experience as a Mental Health First Aider when considering the best ways to support our students in country. I am so grateful for the help, support and guidance that I have received from ISEP in the past, I would love to use this as an opportunity to give back to those who have helped me, Roehampton and both our incoming and outgoing students.
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