Alumni News

Alumni News

Fall 2002 – Spring 2003

Kimberly Leonard (leon0185@d.umn.edu or kleonard@ikonics.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during Fall ’02 and Spring ’03. She is currently living in Duluth, MN. “I am the Trade Show and Project Manager at IKONICS
Corporation. IKONICS is an international leader in the development of
imaging technologies, introducing products and process solutions for a
diverse array of imaging markets. UPO refined my Spanish speaking
abilities which has been beneficial in my career of an international
public corporation. I have been able to communicate with Spanish
speakers at trade shows and update IKONICS product literature.

My current roommate, Annette Mooney, is preparing for her study abroad
experience this upcoming Spring semester. I am excited she has
selected UPO and will be learning from your university.

Best wishes and kind regards,
Kimberly Leonard”

Irena Chylinski (irena322@hotmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall ’02 semester and is currently living in New York, NY working as a consultant in Financial Risk Management (for KPMG).

Erica Wolff (eswolff@aol.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the

Fall ‘02 semester and is currently living in New York working as a speech language pathologist.

Stephanie Schoenjahn (schoenjahn_30@hotmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall ’02 semester. She is currently living in Farmington Hills, Michigan and working as a pharmacist.

Jayne Goeddeke (jgoeddeke@gmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Spring ’03 semester and is currently living in Lansing, MI. “Vivo con mi novio, Kris, y nuestro gato, Meatball. Todavía hablo español, casi cada día. Antes de terminar la universidad, volví a España para un practicum con la revista Glamour en Madrid para 3 meses, más o menos. Enseñé a niños del primer grado - todo en español- en una escuela de inmersión en Mexican Town en Detroit, MI. Después de esta horrible experiencia (ser maestra exige mas paciencia que yo tengo!), conseguí un trabajo con la universidad de Michigan State (MSU) en East Lansing, MI. Soy la admv. asst. del personal de la facultad en el Dept. de Epidemiologia, College of Human Medicine, MSU http://www.epi.msu.edu/index.htm (I'm on the 'contact us' page, although it's a photo from like 3 years ago). También soy la coordinadaora de un programa de investigación entrenamiento internacional (international research training program - NIH/NIDA funded D43 training prog.) con un grupo en Lima, Peru”.

Olivia Rocskar (orocskar@ucalgary.ca) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during

the Spring ’03 semester and is currently living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She is pursuing an MA in Political Science at the University of Calgary.

Fall 2004 - Spring 2005

Adriana López (adrianalopez99@yahoo.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall ´04 semester and is currently living in Boothwyn, Pennsylvania. "I graduated with a degree in accounting and international business. I am currently living close to Philadelphia. I am an accountant for an oil and gas company. I am Mexican so I speak Spanish to my family all the time. I believe the study abroad program was somewhat new at the time. It was one of the greatest experiences I went through."

Christanne Hoffman (christanneh@hotmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Academic Year 2004 – 2005 and is currently living in San Diego, CA. “I just graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC and am beginning my Emergency Medicine Residency in San Diego, CA. I use my Spanish daily in the hospital communicating with my patients and recently went on a medical mission trip to Honduras!”

Fall 2005 - Spring 2006

Kevin Dunlevy (kevin.dunlevy@gmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Spring ´06 semester. He is living in NYC at the moment, working on Finance. “I´d love to join the Alumni Organization!”

Rocío Alejandra Silva (rasf_07@hotmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the 2005-‘06 Academic Year and is currently living in El Paso, Texas. “I am pursuing a Master’s in Business Administration degree and working at a transportation agency.”

Carissa Hoitenga attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Spring ´06 semester and is currently living in San German, Puerto Rico. She is enrolled in the Teaching English as a Second Language MA Program at the Universidad InterAmericana de Puerto Rico.

Anna Wilhelm (anna.e.wilhelm@gmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Spring ´06 semester and is currently living in Durham, North Carolina. In Anna´s words: “I'm about to begin my Master's degree in biomedical engineering. I still try to use Spanish though as much as I can! I miss it (and it leaves me quickly), but I still try to read in it, participate in things like Engineers Without Borders in Spanish-speaking countries, and go Salsa dancing. It's not the same as being in Spain, but it'll have to do for now :)”

Fall 2006 – Spring 2007

Courtney Gavitt (courtneygavitt@gmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall ‘06 semester and is currently living in Arlington, Virginia. “I work as a database manager and program assistant for a non-profit organization called The Academy for Educational Development in Washington, DC. Our project is the Ambassadors Girls Scholarship Program; we have provided scholarship, mentoring and other holistic services to over 60,000 scholarship recipients in Eastern Africa.”

Alex Kidd (alexkidd42@yahoo.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall ‘06 semester and is currently living in San Francisco, CA working for an accounting firm.

Allison Noffsinger (allison@noffsinger.net) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall ‘06 semester and is currently living in Starkville, Mississippi. “I have just returned from a year abroad in Tel Aviv, Israel, and have finished all of my undergraduate studies. Now to find a job.”

Margaret Rountree (rountreme@gmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall ´06 and is currently living in New Orleans working on a Masters degree in chemistry at Tulane University.

Keely Riggins (keelyriggins@gmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall ´06 and is currently living in Boone, NC, working in a high school as a Spanish Teacher.

Jami Esbenshade (jlesbenshade@mail.unomaha.edu) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall ´06 semester and is currently living in Gwangju, South Korea.

“I’m teaching English as a second language to Kindergarten to Middle School Korean students at a private English Academy. I actually came here because of someone I met at UPO. Tim Allen and I both attended there in the fall of 2006. We both graduated in the spring of 2008 and weren't quite sure what to do after graduation. He asked me if I wanted to teach overseas with him, I said yes, and here I am. He has already gone back to the States, but I'm loving life here in Korea! I sadly don't get to use my Spanish much lately, but I can still speak it! I've actually met some Koreans that speak better Spanish than I do... ha ha… I'll have to work on that.”

Jade Astiazaran (jade_astiazaran@yahoo.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Spring ‘07 semester and is currently living in Las Cruces, New Mexico. “I am finishing my Masters in Early Childhood Education as a bilingual teacher and plan on joining the Peace Corps next year :)”

David "Ryan" Foley (drynfole@gmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Spring ’07 semester and is currently living in Fort Collins, CO. “Trabajo en un bar/restaurante. ¡¡Pero voy a enseñar inglés en Corea del Sur este otoño!!! No he estado en un país hispanohablante después de España. ¡Qué triste!”

Tara Jackson (Tara.C.Jackson@gmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Spring‘07 semester and is currently living in St. Louis, MO.

“I am attending medical school at Washington University in St. Louis. I have finished my first year and I have three more years. I hope to do international work at some point during my fourth year, possibly in a Spanish speaking country, and I hope to continue caring for the Spanish speaking population of the United States and abroad throughout my car"

Eugenia Iskra (shenia@hotmail.com ) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Spring‘07 semester and is currently living in Calgary, AB, Canada. Looking for work after graduating with BA in IR and Spanish.

Fall 2007 – Spring 2008

Dana Schwab (dana.m.schwab@gmail.com) attended UPO during the ’02-’03 academic year. She is currently living in Cinnaminson, NJ, attending Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. She is working towards a Masters Degree in Biomedical Sciences. “I´d love to be involved with this great idea! Can’t wait to hear from you guys!”

Brendan Walsh (br653082@dal.ca) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during

the Fall ’07 semester and is currently living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada working at Corporate Banking, BMO Capital Markets.

Meron Berhanu (berhanum@vcu.edu ) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall’07 semester and is currently living in Virginia working as a Study Abroad Advisor.

Tonya Luna (tluna@du.edu) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall’07 semester and is currently living in Pueblo, Colorado.

“I just graduated from the University of Denver with a BA in Political Science and Spanish. I will return to Andalucía to teach English in public schools as an Auxiliar de Conversacion for one year!”

Julie Shah (jrshah@noctrl.edu) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall’07 semester and is currently living in Chicago.

“I am currently finishing up my undergrad in Accounting, Spanish, minor in Finance at North Central College in Naperville”

Jen Donohue (jennifer.m.donohue@gmail.com ) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall’07 semester and is currently living in Denver, Colorado attending law school.

Michelle Zwolinski (meshellyz543@hotmail.com ) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall’07 semester and is currently living in Dayton, OH.

“This summer I started my first semester of a Physician Assistant program in Dayton, OH. The program is a little over two years and will allow me to have nearly the same responsibilities as a physician but with less schooling. I hope to work in an underserved part of the US after I graduate in order to be able to use my Spanish :)"

Lily Himmelsbach (lily.hhimmelsbach@gmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall’07 semester and is currently living in New York working as an International Coordinator at American Eagle Outfitters.

Phillip Cherok (pcherok@hotmail.com ) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall ’07 semester and is currently living in Providence, Rhode Island. He is planning to attend graduate school in the fall of 2009 to pursue an MBA.

Megan Dilley (dilley.megan@gmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall ’07 semester and is currently living in Ventura, CA.

“I graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo this spring. I will be leaving for an internship in Prague this September" .

Rachael Schwarz (rachaelshwarz@yahoo.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall ’07 semester and is currently living in Durango, Colorado.

“I recently graduated and am currently looking for an opportunity to travel and use my Spanish”.

Briana Landry (bri10s@gmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during

the Spring ´08 semester and is currently living in Sevilla working as a Language Assistant in a high school 100 meters from the UPO!

Johanna Zuber (jzuber@student.umass.edu) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Spring ´08 semester and is currently living in Amherst, MA.

“Right now I'm on summer vacation. At school I'm planning on graduating in the winter of 2010. I've been sailing for the school's team, and I've been nominated for the captain position! I'm also going to visit Seville in November”.

Brad Keiser (brad.l.keiser@gmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Spring ´08 semester and is currently living in San Vicente, El Salvador.

“I joined the Peace Corps and will be living in El Salvador for the next 2 years and 3 months, working with the youth there”.

Fall 2008 – Spring 2009

Lissa Vassalotti (ljvass@wm.edu) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall´08 semester. “I graduated from my University (William and Mary) in May, and I am planning on taking one year off before going to 4 more years of medical school. I am so in love with Sevilla that my friend and I decided to move to Sevilla in September/October and stay for a full academic year (until the end of May/June), with the hopes of finding a job teaching English. I think this will be a great opportunity to live as a local once again, instead of as a tourist, and travel before I go back to studying all the time!”

Sara Capra (scapra@du.edu) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Fall´08 semester and is presently living in Denver, Colorado. She is currently interning at the Department of Commerce in Washington D.C. during the summer of 2009.

Summer Sessions 2002 - 2009

Lauren Guerra (allegria18@hotmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Summer ’02 Session and is currently living in San Francisco, CA, USA. “I teach religion (and Spanish) at a private high school here in San Francisco :)”

Hillary Root (hillary.root@gmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Summer ´07 session and is currently living in East Hampton, Connecticut. “I am currently a Notre Dame Americorps Volunteer in the city of Hartford, Connecticut. I work as an After School Instructor and Program Assistant for Hands On Hartford's Center for Youth. And I ended up needing to use some Spanish since the majority of my kids are Hispanic and come from Spanish speaking families!”

Amelia Popham (ameliapopham@gmail.com) attended Universidad Pablo de Olavide during the Summer ´07 session and is currently living in New York City, NY. She is a Social Work graduate student at Columbia University