Putney Foundations 2007

Staff Bios

 

RYAN BEATTIE:  Lafayette College, B.A., cum laude, International Affairs & Spanish.  Ryan studied abroad in both Mexico and Spain during his time at Lafayette.  He first spent a summer studying at La Universidad de Las Americas in Puebla, Mexico, where he also worked with Mexican orphans.  He spent his junior year abroad studying in Madrid, where he lived with a Spanish family and focused on courses in International Studies.  Ryan was member of the International Affairs Honor Society, the Spanish National Honor Society, the Hispanic Society, and the International Affairs Club. He worked as a summer camp counselor and a summer camp basketball coach and also volunteered for two years with an after school program in Easton, Pennsylvania.  This will be Ryan's third summer with Putney Student Travel.  He has led a Language Learning program in Spain and a Community Service program in Costa Rica.  He is an avid hiker and lover of all sports.  He also enjoys the arts and dance.  Ryan is fluent in Spanish and is currently studying Russian.

 

JESSICA COHN:  University of Oklahoma, B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Latin American Studies.  A trip to Mexico City in high school was Jessica's first exposure to Latin America and the Spanish language, and she has been madly in love with both ever since.  In her junior year of college, she traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to study history, human rights, and language at the Universidad de Buenos Aires.  After graduating from the University of Oklahoma, Jessica moved to Las Vegas, NV, to teach elementary school English as a Second Language as a Teach For America corps member. In addition to teaching, Jessica is also pursuing a Master's degree in education.  When Jessica can find free time, she enjoys reading, watching movies, cooking, and exploring the Southwest.  Jessica is fluent in Spanish.      

 

ADAM DE BOER:  College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, B.A. Painting and Drawing, Departmental Honors.  During high school Adam, his twin brother, and his best friend started a skateboard company (Lekker Skateboards) and he served as the artistic director, designing logos, clothing, and deck graphics.  When he started college, however, he found himself most interested in painting and decided to pursue a degree in fine art.  During his junior year at UCSB he studied painting and Renaissance art history at the Lamar Dodd School of Art in Cortona, Italy.  As a senior he worked as a teaching assistant for the Pre-College Arts Institute at the College of Creative Studies, teaching middle school and high school students figurative painting.  Adam enjoys reading, music, surfing, and playing the ukulele and banjo.  He currently lives and works in Washington, DC as an artist and art handler.  Adam is proficient in Spanish. 

 

BRITT DORAN: (Co-Director): Brown University, B.A. International Development.  While at Brown, Britt spent a semester studying in Ecuador and volunteering for an adolescent health education project.  Back on campus, she sang with the Brown University Chorus and traveled on tour with them to Costa Rica, Finland, and Russia.  She continued to travel after graduation as a dorm supervisor, activities coordinator, and music teacher at the Country Day School in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.  Britt has spent the past two years co-directing Proctor Academy's study abroad program in Segovia, Spain.  She spends her time teaching Spanish Literature and exploring the country with her students.  When not traveling, she enjoys being near the water in her home state of Rhode Island.  In 2006, Britt led a Putney Language Learning program in Costa Rica.  She is fluent in Spanish.

 

HANNAH GILKENSON: University of Michigan, B.S. Anthropology-Zoology, Honors. Born in Vermont and raised in Michigan, Hannah was always fascinated by animals and nature. She worked with bats at the University of Maryland and as an exhibit interpreter at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. before moving to Costa Rica to study the social behavior of the white-faced capuchin monkey. Hannah remained in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica for six years as field site manager.  From dawn to dusk she observed wild monkey troops, and at night she oversaw a houseful of international assistants and managed the complexities of running a project in the tropics. While living in Costa Rica, Hannah fell in love with its culture, its small communities and its tropical dry forests. She worked closely with the community where she lived and succeeded in bringing conservation education to the local school children. In addition to visiting local schools, she coordinated field trips for groups of interested individuals of all ages and enabled them to take an active role in conserving their environment. In addition to her professional activities, Hannah is passionate about travel, photography, languages, and the diversity of music. She is fluent in Spanish and German.

SCHUYLER HEDSTROM (Co-Director): Dartmouth College, B.A. Phi Beta Kappa.  While at Dartmouth, Schuyler spent two semesters abroad, studying Spanish art history in Barcelona and studying drama with coaches from the Royal Shakespeare Company in London. After performing and teaching theatre in San Francisco for two years, he moved to Madrid to teach English and acting to Spaniards. He has spent the last year teaching English at the University of Chile in Santiago and traveling throughout South America.  A Vermont native, Schuyler enjoys hiking, swimming, and yoga. He has traveled throughout Europe, Asia, and Central America, and is fluent in Spanish and Italian. This will be Schuyler's eighth summer with Putney: his trips include two Cultural Exploration programs in Australia/New Zealand/Fiji and in Switzerland/Italy/France/Holland, a Community Service program in Hawaii, and four summers with Excel Madrid/Barcelona.

MARISSA LITWIN:  Connecticut College, B.A, cum laude, double major in American Studies and Latin American Studies, Antonio Rebolledo Memorial Prize for Hispanic Studies. While in college, Marissa lived in the International and Multicultural House, tutored ESL at a women's state prison, and studied abroad in Valparaíso, Chile.  In Chile, she lived with a local family, studied history and politics, and traveled extensively throughout the country.  Marissa was awarded a grant to spend a summer working for an international jazz festival in Valencia, Spain.  Based upon her research there, she wrote a senior thesis on the fusion of jazz and flamenco music.  After teaching English in Mexico for a year, Marissa moved to New York City, where she is currently a high school Spanish and French teacher. She enjoys photography, ultimate frisbee, music, and travel.  This will be Marissa's fifth summer with Putney: she has led past trips in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Spain.  Additionally, as a high school student, she participated in Putney's Language Learning program in France.  Marissa is fluent in Spanish.

MARK McINTIRE:  Saint Lawrence University, B.A. Music & Spanish.  While at Saint Lawrence, Mark studied in Argentina on an independent research grant exploring the folkloric music of the Northwestern Region.  This was the second time Mark had lived in Argentina.  Between high school and college Mark spent nine months there as a Rotary Exchange Student studying, traveling, and performing music with an Argentine band.  During his junior year Mark studied abroad in Madrid with Saint Lawrence University’s program.  At college he was an active member of the Varsity Soccer Team, the Laurentian Singers, and the Outing Club.  During his senior year Mark received the J. Richard Gilbert Music award, presented to the student who has made the greatest contribution in promoting interest and active participation in music.  Mark currently works as a paraprofessional for the Portland Public Schools in Portland, Oregon, assisting students with special needs.  He is an accomplished skier, musician, and outdoorsman.  Mark is fluent in Spanish.  

DANIELLA WITTERN: Hamilton College, B.A. summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Spanish. In her sophomore year, Daniella made her first trip to Spain, studying at the Instituto Internacional in Madrid. That semester set off the passion that would make her change majors, from Creative Writing/Psychology to Spanish, and motivate her return to Madrid in her senior year to write a bilingual novel, Entre lenguas. Upon graduation from Hamilton, Daniella spent three years working with medical journals for Blackwell Publishing, where she sought to extend access to vital medical research to doctors and medical students throughout Latin America. Currently a graduate student in Hispanic Studies at Brown University, Daniella has completed her second year towards a Ph.D. in contemporary Latin American literature and film. At Brown, she has also taught each of the first two introductory Spanish language courses offered to undergraduates. When not reading or writing papers, Daniella enjoys cycling, running, soccer, swimming, dancing, and spending as much time as possible outdoors! Daniella is fluent in Spanish.