"I have passionately dedicated my professional life to international education connecting people of different cultures. It is funny to think that a bad grade in a sophomore Spanish class in high school set into motion a series of events that put me on that path. After the bad grade, I went to a Spanish immersion summer camp in Bemidji, Minnesota to improve my Spanish. I began to speak Spanish for the first time there. The camp counselors were from all over the world. I became intrigued with the diversity of cultures of the Spanish-speaking world.
For some reason I got my mind set on traveling to Argentina the following summer. Shortly after, I heard about a new exchange program I my high school. The following summer I was able to spend one month in Buenos Aires where I experienced a presidential inauguration, hyperinflation, and celebrating Argentina winning a World Cup semifinal at the obelisco in downtown Buenos Aires with thousands of Argentines. I lived with the most amazing host family that I still am in touch with and consider family.
My senior year I had the idea to go back to Buenos Aires and live there for a year before I began college. Eventually I returned, lived with two more amazing host families, met the man who would become my husband, and have lived between two cultures ever since. Connecting with people from different cultures has enriched my life. An unexpected plus is that I have learned so much about my own culture in the process. I am very grateful to be able to work with the many international students and scholars in the Tulane community and to facilitate their adjustment to life in New Orleans."
