Dominican Republic

SCARLETT SHAFFER: University of Delaware, B.A., Anthropology and Latin American Studies; School for International Training, M.A. Candidate, Sustainable Community Development. At the University of Delaware, Scarlett discovered a love of cultural anthropology and travel. She has traveled extensively, conducted research, and worked in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Aside from anthropology, her work and studies have included grassroots community organizing, activism, and policy advocacy related to her passion for protecting and promoting a multiplicity of cultural and artistic expression. Scarlett currently works with low-income youth as a field-coordinator for a need-based scholarship program in central Mexico. This is Scarlett’s second summer with Putney. She led a Community Service program in Costa Rica in 2008. Scarlett is fluent in Spanish.

ROBERTO ADRIAN FIERRO: University of San Diego, B.A., International Relations; University of Denver Josef Korbel School of International Studies, M.A., International Studies. Roberto grew up in Tijuana, Mexico, commuting to San Diego, CA, to school every day. Growing up in a dual-culture environment gave Roberto a particular appreciation for furthering the expansion of education and the necessity of global awareness. This childhood provided Roberto with excellent insight into core issues as well as the dedication to provide opportunities to those who lack them. Roberto continues his work in international education at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. He spent the year traveling between Washington, D.C., and Mexico City as one of a select few Graduate/Young Professional Fellows. Roberto also served as the Graduate Assistant for the University of Denver’s Costa Rica Study Abroad Program. This fall Roberto will lead a LEAPNow program in South America. He enjoys cooking, photography, and athletic activities such as basketball, soccer, and yoga. This will be Roberto’s second summer with Putney. He led a Putney Language Learning program in Argentina in 2008. Roberto is fluent in Spanish.

Ecuador - Group A

SUZANNA ELKIN: Brown University, B.A., Community Health; Lesley University, M.Ed. Suzanna’s travels began at the age of seven when her family left her rural hometown in Maine to live and work in Micronesia for a year. Since then, she has eagerly sought out opportunities to see the world. Her studies at Brown focused on the connections between health and social justice on a global scale. She worked with community health programs in India, Lesotho, and Ecuador. Suzanna spent a year in Ecuador during college, studying at a university in Quito and working at a rural health project in an indigenous community outside of Otavalo. She has been involved in leading a variety of educational programs with students of all ages, including an urban community garden program in Providence, RI, and a marine environmental camp on the coast of Maine. She is currently completing a Master’s degree in Education. When she’s not traveling or in a classroom, Suzanna loves to kayak, hike, play music, and grow vegetables. She is fluent in Spanish.

JOSH LUCKENS: Vassar College, B.A., Religion. Josh’s love for travel and the outdoors began as a child on family trips to national parks. At Vassar, he studied Social Sciences, was involved in campus arts organizations, and studied abroad in Italy and in New Zealand. After graduation, Josh spent a year as an Americorps volunteer, working in elderly outreach and community organizing in Washington, D.C. He has worked as an environmental educator, teaching 6th grade students earth science and ecology through Outward Bound and the Teva Learning Center. Last summer, Josh led a high school travel and service trip to a Native American Reservation in South Dakota. He lived in Latin America for 10 months, traveling, volunteering, and studying Spanish, and has spent time in Ecuador. Josh recently returned from leading a trip and traveling in Israel. He spent this spring leading camping trips for middle schoolers. Josh is fluent in Spanish.

Ecuador - Group B

SARAH KRASNY: Huntsman Program, University of Pennsylvania, B.A. International Studies, Wharton School, B.S., Economics. Sarah first discovered her interest in Latin America as a student on a Putney Community Service program in Costa Rica. She spent two years studying and living among 200 students from over 90 different countries at United World College of the American West. Since then, she has worked, studied, and lived in Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Cuba. In Puebla, Mexico, Sarah led a group of Mexican and American youth on a community service trip in an indigenous Nahua village for the American Friends Service Committee. Last summer, she worked as a Research Fellow for FINCA International collecting data on microfinance clients in El Salvador and Honduras. While at the University of Pennsylvania, Sarah spent a semester studying abroad in Havana, Cuba. She loves to bike ride, dance, cook and travel. Sarah is fluent in Spanish and proficient in French and Portuguese.

SHEREEF ZAKI: Bucknell University, B.A., Economics and International Relations, magna cum laude. Born in Cairo, Egypt, Shereef moved with his family to the U.S. when he was 2 years old and returns to visit Egypt annually. At 13 Shereef traveled through Australia and New Zealand. While at Bucknell, he participated in the Bucknell Brigade, a service learning-based sustainable development trip to Nicaragua. The following summer he studied in Spain in preparation for his upcoming semester learning, living, and adventuring in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, and Chile. Upon his return to Bucknell, he went on to lead the Bucknell Brigade to Nicaragua guiding 20 students through service learning experiences. Shereef has spent time in Scotland, England, the Czech Republic, Poland, and the Dominican Republic. Since graduating, Shereef has worked in the office of International Fundraising at the University of Pennsylvania. This will be Shereef’s second summer with Putney. In 2008 he led a Putney Global Awareness in Action program to El Salvador. Shereef is fluent in Spanish.

Ghana

KELSEY BURNS: St. Lawrence University, B.A., cum laude, Spanish & Creative Writing. While at St. Lawrence, Kelsey spent her junior year in Madrid, Spain, studying literature, art history, ecology, and theater at Colegio Mayor Isabel de España. Back on campus, Kelsey worked as a peer tutor, a teacher's assistant for the Spanish department, and in the International Office for the Spain Study Abroad program. She was a member of the women's lacrosse team and the Outing Club. Kelsey has traveled extensively in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and West Africa. This will be Kelsey’s eighth summer with Putney Student Travel. She has led a Putney Language Learning program in Spain, worked coordinating Putney’s Global Action programs at Yale University, and led Community Service programs in Ecuador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Ghana. Kelsey works full time at the Putney Student Travel office as an Associate Director. She is responsible for organizing Putney’s programs in Spain, Ecuador, and Ghana, and for hiring the Putney leaders. When she isn’t traveling, Kelsey sings in her band, dances West African dance, hikes, bikes, skis, and reads. She is fluent in Spanish.

MARK POMMER: Butler University, B.A; Columbia University, Ed.M. Mark's love for travel began in high school when he spent a summer playing soccer in Europe against European teams. While at Butler, Mark tutored Latino students in inner city schools and served as leader of an after-school youth program, leading week-long backpacking trips through the Appalachian Mountains. He spent a semester studying literature in London and a summer studying Spanish in Mexico. At Columbia, Mark studied Child & Educational Psychology and provided psycho-educational consultation at a high school in Spanish Harlem as well as in Costa Rica. He has traveled extensively in Western Europe, New Zealand, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. He currently lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he works as a high school psychologist, ski coach, and service learning coordinator, and runs his own private psychology practice. Mark is an avid skier, mountain biker, backpacker, fly-fisherman, and photographer. This will be Mark’s fourth summer with Putney. He has led Community Service programs in Costa Rica and Ecuador and a National Geographic Student Expeditions program in Peru. Mark is fluent in Spanish.

Nusa Penida and Bali

JOSIE KEEFE: Columbia University, B.A., Cultural Anthropology. During high school, Josie studied abroad in southern France and took the opportunity to travel throughout both France and Spain. While at Columbia, Josie studied Southeast Asian culture and printmaking. Josie ran the Columbia University radio station, and worked as a DJ in New York City. She helped start Showpaper; a publication of local independent concerts, and is currently learning to play the drums. While at Columbia Josie tutored high school students and worked for an online music TV website. During her junior year at Columbia, Josie studied art and culture in Indonesia. She focused her studies on Indonesian language and batik while living in a small village in Bali. She did an independent study project on Baten, the art of making Balinese floral offerings. In her free time Josie enjoys biking, cooking, yoga, music, and making art. She is proficient in Indonesian and French.

SANTIAGO WALKER: Rice University, B.S. cum laude, Earth Science with a focus on Petroleum Geosciences; Yale University, M.A. Santiago was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, to a British-Grenadian father and a Venezuelan-Trinidadian mother. After graduation from Rice, Santiago went on to pursue a Master's degree in International Development Economics at Yale, where he focused on the interplay between development and the environment. He currently works for BP Trinidad and Tobago in Market Development and teaches at a local community college, where he designed and is currently delivering a course in Environmental Economics. He is heavily involved in community service and is campaign coordinator for United Way at BP. This year he is also on the National Volunteer Week committee and is in charge of fundraising. He has traveled widely in Central and South America, Western Europe, and Asia. Santiago counts teaching English in Brazil, painting a stadium in Mexico, and exploring the Caribbean coast of Panama among his most memorable recent travel experiences. This will be Santiago’s third summer with Putney. He led a Putney Community Service program in the Dominican Republic in 2007 and a National Geographic Student Expeditions program in Iceland in 2008. Santiago speaks Spanish, Portuguese, Caribbean Creole, and is avidly learning Bahasa Indonesian.

Peru

HANNAH GILKENSON: University of Michigan, B.S. Hannah graduated with honors in Anthropology-Zoology from the University of Michigan, where she studied chimpanzee behavior and vocalizations. She worked with bats at the University of Maryland and 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 Costa Rica for six years working as the field station manager for the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. In Costa Rica she worked closely with the community where she lived, and succeeded in bringing conservation education to local school children. Hannah now works as an Associate Director at Putney helping to coordinate programs in Latin America and overseeing staffing for Putney’s Excel programs. This will be Hannah’s third summer with Putney. She taught wildlife and ecology for Putney's Costa Rica Foundations program and this past summer led a National Geographic Student Expeditions program to Ecuador and the Galapagos. Hannah is fluent in Spanish and proficient in German.

YASER ROBLES: Brandeis University, B.A., Political Science & Latin American Studies; SUNY Buffalo, M.A., Caribbean Cultural Studies; SUNY Albany, Ph.D Candidate, Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino Studies. Yaser’s commitment to cultural understanding and community service has taken him to many different parts of the world. As a high school student he participated in two cultural exchange programs to Israel and to Mexico. While at Brandeis University, Yaser interned at the Center for Middle East Non-Violence and Democracy, a non-profit organization located in East Jerusalem. There, he helped coordinate a summer camp for youth living in conflict areas. Participating students came from occupied Palestinian territory, Northern Ireland, and South Africa. As an Ethics and Coexistence Fellow at Brandeis, Yaser interned at another non-profit organization called Ikamba Labantu in Cape Town, South Africa. He taught English to Angolan and Congolese refugees and coordinated a summer program teaching students life skills through the arts, music, and theater. During his time at Brandeis, Yaser participated in study abroad programs in Cuba and Brazil. Upon graduation, Yaser returned to his community in the South Bronx in New York City, where he worked as a College Advisor for ASPIRA of New York, Inc. Currently Yaser is pursuing a Ph.D at SUNY Albany, where he is also an undergraduate instructor. This will be Yaser’s second summer with Putney. He led a Community Service program in Brazil in 2006. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

Senegal

AMELIA NEBENZAHL: Colby College, B.A., International Studies with a concentration in French Studies. Amelia spent most of her years enrolled at Colby abroad. She studied at the Université de Bourgogne in Dijon, France where she focused on French language, Contemporary French Society, and French History. She then went on to study at the CIEE Study Center at Suffolk University in Dakar, Senegal. While there, she concentrated on Development in Africa including Environmental Policy, Economics, Public Health, and International Crisis Management in addition to French and Wolof. In Senegal, Amelia also worked at Pouponniere de Medina where she gave basic care to young orphans. Amelia also spent two separate months at the Gandhi Ashram School in Kalimpong, India where she created lesson plans and taught English, music, environmental awareness, and basic math to Indian students. Amelia taught musical theatre at the Looking Glass Theatre Co. in Providence, RI for kids ages 8-16 and represented Colby College at the U.S. Campaign for Burma’s national conference in Washington, D.C. She was a member of the Movement for Global Justice, League of Progressive Voters, Colby College Chorale, and the Colby College Broadway Musical Revue. Amelia is fluent in French and proficient in Wolof and Spanish.

CHRISTOPHER BROMSON: B.A. in Corporate Communications with a minor in French, Baruch College, The City University of New York. During college, Christopher spent five months in Dakar, Senegal studying at the Université Cheik Anta Diop where he had the opportunity to study with some of the country’s most prominent figures in politics and HIV/AIDS advocacy. Christopher also worked at Empire des Enfants, a shelter that takes in victims of child trafficking and reunites them with their families. During his time there, Christopher gained a valuable inside view of the workings of an international and developing NGO, and also a rich knowledge of the Talibé system and its effect of the children of West Africa. He currently works as a rape crisis counselor in the emergency department of St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital. In his free time, Christopher enjoys spending time with friends and family, working in his garden, and preparing for a career in medicine in the fall. Christopher speaks French and Wolof.

Tanzania - Group A

FRANCESCA NICOSIA: DePauw University, B.A., Sociology & Anthropology, Conflict Studies, cum laude; University of Colorado Denver, M.A., Anthropology. During college, Francesca studied abroad in Northern India, Nepal, and Tibet with the School for International Training. After graduating, she was awarded a fellowship with Humanity in Action, where she researched human rights, culture, and immigration in Berlin before returning to work in DePauw's Anthropology Museum. Francesca first went to Tanzania in 2005-2006 and lived in a homestay on the slopes of Mt. Meru while she studied Swahili and backpacked through the Eastern Arc Mountains. She is currently finishing graduate school for Medical Anthropology, where her studies have focused on the relationship between health, culture, and the environment. Francesca lives in Denver, Colorado, where she recently completed her first documentary film. She is a certified yoga teacher. This will be Francesca’s third summer with Putney Student Travel. She led Putney’s Global Awareness in Action India program in 2007 and a Putney Community Service program in Tanzania this past summer. Francesca is proficient in Swahili.

BARRETT MILES: St. Lawrence University, B.A., Environmental Studies, Economics, and African Studies. While at St. Lawrence, Barrett was active in the Outdoor Program as a student guide and was president of the Outing Club. His enthusiasm for the outdoors led him to paddle numerous Canadian rivers in the southern James Bay watershed. Barrett participated in St. Lawrence’s Kenya Semester Program. While there, he joined a Kenya Marine and Fisheries research team studying tropical mangrove ecosystems. During his senior year, he served as a student ambassador for the Kenya Semester Program. After graduation from St. Lawrence, Barrett worked on a ranch in Dubois, Wyoming. His interest in western land-use issues prompted him to work as a draftsman for a civil engineering firm in Victor, Idaho. Last summer, he traveled in western Tanzania to volunteer with a local NGO called the Gombe School for Environment and Society. Barrett worked this winter at a ski resort in Jackson, Wyoming, and is an avid backcountry skier. This will be his second summer leading a Putney Community Service program in Tanzania. Barrett is proficient in Kiswahili and is a certified Wilderness First Responder.

Tanzania - Group B

JESSIE DAVIE: St. Lawrence University, B.A., cum laude, English and Environmental Studies. During her junior year, Jessie spent a semester abroad in Kenya participating in a cross-cultural experiential learning program. She considered this experience so valuable that after graduating from college, she traveled back to Africa and lived and volunteered in a small rural village in Ghana for nine months. She worked for the Kopeyia Ghana School Fund and was responsible for administering activities at the local school as well as teaching English classes to Junior Secondary students. Jessie has traveled to southern Africa, where she explored Mozambique, Swaziland, and South Africa; she has also travelled extensively throughout East Africa, including Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. She worked for Clean Air-Cool Planet as a coordinator for a global warming campaign in New Hampshire. Currently, Jessie lives in Missoula, Montana, where she is pursuing a Master's degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana, while also serving as the University’s Sustainability Coordinator. This will be Jessie’s third summer leading a Putney Community Service program in Tanzania. She is proficient in Kiswahili.

JOHN LINSLEY: St. Lawrence University, B.A., cum laude, Government, History, and African Studies; Maxwell School of Syracuse University, M.A., International Relations. At St. Lawrence John studied on the Kenya Semester Program and was president of the Outing Club. Following college John studied Swahili in Tanzania as a Fulbright Hays scholar and then returned to the U.S. to teach high school social studies in Colorado and Vermont. As part of his graduate studies, John developed educational programming for rescued trafficked youth in Ghana with the International Organization for Migration and held an assistantship on the East Africa desk at the National Democratic Institute. He also served as a teaching assistant and was president of the Maxwell Africa Caucus. An EMT for ten years, John has volunteered both on his campus rescue squad and in the local emergency room. He is trained in wilderness emergency medicine and has instructed for the Red Cross. This will be John’s fourth summer leading a Putney Community Service program in Tanzania. John is fluent in Swahili.

Tanzania - Group C

JOANNA OPOT: Middlebury College, B.A., Political Science and French. Jo was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and at fifteen years became the youngest member of the Kenya national field hockey team. At sixteen years, Jo joined the National Students Council for Peace and coordinated counseling services for teenage refugees who had been affected by tribal conflicts in Kenya, Sudan, and Somalia. She then went on to complete high school in India, at the Mahindra United World College. While in India, Jo taught English and carried out an earthquake relief program in Gujarat. She spent her summer between eleventh and twelfth grade, teaching English in the Himalayan region of Nepal. These experiences led Jo to work for the United Nations in Kenya, Russia, and the U.S. during her college summers, where she designed environmental programs and planned youth conferences. At Middlebury College, Jo was also a Special Olympics soccer coach, a varsity field hockey goalie, a club rugby player, and a dance troupe member. She is currently the Executive Director of StartingBloc, a global organization that educates, empowers, and connects emerging leaders (18-32 years) to drive positive social change across sectors. Her work directly supports 1,100 emerging leaders in forty countries. This will be Jo’s first summer with Putney and it will be followed by a six month trip, together with her husband (Jo and Freeman will be married in June), to Kenya, India, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Jo is fluent in Kiswahili and proficient in French.

FREEMAN WHITE: Middlebury College, B.A., Theater, Minor in Biology. Freeman attended high school at the Putney School, where he got a great education while milking cows and living in a cabin heated with wood that he chopped himself. While at Middlebury, Freeman acted in and/or directed plays every semester, sang in a Tanzanian running choir, played on the Ultimate Frisbee team, started a small recycled products business, and mentored students in local schools. After graduation, Freeman taught theater, ecology, biology, and chemistry for two years at the Bement School in Massachusetts. After teaching, he joined the urban education reform movement and has built and managed online technology systems for three years at New Leaders for New Schools in New York City. His travels to date have led him through England, France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands. After leading this program to Tanzania, Freeman looks forward to a wedding celebration in Nairobi with Jo’s family from Kenya and Uganda. In addition to travel, he loves running, reading, and recycling. Freeman is proficient in Kiswahili.

Vietnam

EILEEN VO: University of Toronto, B.A., East Asian Studies with honors. Eileen is currently a Ph.D. student in the East Asian Literature Department at Cornell University where she is studying Vietnamese culture and history through film and literature. She was born in a village about 50 miles south of Tinh Hoa, where the group will be located. Her family immigrated to Canada when Eileen was four. She studied abroad in Vietnam during college, worked there after graduation as a Sales and Operations Manager for a leading shoe brand, and, as a graduate student, has done research in Vietnam, Cambodia, and China. This will be Eileen’s second summer with Putney. She led Putney’s Vietnam Community Service program in Tinh Hoa last summer. Her travels have taken her throughout almost all of Southeast Asia. She is fluent in Vietnamese, including the dialect of the Quang Ngai region where Putney’s program is based.

TED SAMUEL: Kenyon College, B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Departmental High Honors in International Studies, Sigma Iota Rho Honor Society. After graduating from Kenyon College, Ted served as a Fulbright Scholar in South India. There, he researched the social movement of the Aravani community, focusing on the ability of community leaders and activists to utilize creative technology and event programming to promote their agenda to the public. During his tenure as a Fulbright fellow, Ted had the opportunity to present his research and also perform Karagattam, a South Indian folk dance, at various conferences and Fulbright alumni association events in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. After returning to the United States and spending a year as a Marketing Associate at the Corporate Executive Board in Washington, D.C., Ted was named a Peace Fellow by The Advocacy Project. As a Peace Fellow, Ted spent six months working with the Jagaran Media Center, a Dalit rights advocate in Kathmandu, Nepal, where he helped revitalize their print media division and led creative projects profiling the arts of lower caste communities. In the fall, Ted will begin his Ph.D in Anthropology at American University in Washington, D,C. This will be Ted's second summer with Putney Student Travel. He led the Community Service program in India in 2008.

Global Awareness in Action

Yale Program Director

PATRICK NOYES: Georgetown University, B.A. Patrick graduated cum laude from Georgetown, where he received the Retablo prize for excellence in Spanish theatre. He spent his junior year of high school in Barcelona and his junior year of college in Sevilla. After college Patrick spent three years living in Madrid, where he was a bookstore owner, a free-lance writer, and the product manager for the Bit-Bang Network—a computer consulting firm. He took advanced courses at the University Complutense of Madrid and translated screenplays for Lola Films S.A. This will be Patrick’s eleventh summer with Putney. He led a Language Learning Spain program, directed Putney’s Excel Madrid/Barcelona program during many summers, directed Putney’s Excel at Amherst College program, and Putney’s Excel China program. Patrick worked for seven years as an Associate Director at Putney, focusing on hiring for Putney’s Excel programs. Additionally, Patrick helped create Putney’s Global Action El Salvador, Malawi, and South Africa programs and our Theatre in Britain program. Patrick now works in the film industry in New York City with his wife, director Morgan Faust. Patrick is fluent in Spanish.

Yale Program Assistant Director

MELISSA EXTEIN: Yale University, B.A.; Rutgers University, Psy.M., Psy.D. Candidate. While at Yale, Melissa focused on counseling as both a peer and resident counselor and co-founded the College Resource Center for New Haven high school students. After graduating, she worked in New York City as an art teacher, assistant camp director, and low-income housing researcher. Melissa is now completing her doctoral degree in Organizational Psychology at Rutgers University, where she received a Center for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations Fellowship. While at Rutgers, she has published work in the Educational Psychologist, lectured on emotional intelligence, and worked as an organizational consultant, focusing on education, the arts, and nonprofits. A love of travel led Melissa to study in both Spain and Brazil, and to backpack throughout South America and Southeast Asia. More recently her international and social justice interests brought her to American Jewish World Service (AJWS), where she has been supporting grassroots organizations in the developing world through grant making. With AJWS she has traveled to Indonesia to monitor tsunami relief and rehabilitation work in Aceh and to Thailand as a consultant to EarthRights International, an NGO that defends environmental and human rights. Melissa first came to Putney Student Travel in high school as a student on the France, Holland, and England program. She has since spent six summers as a Putney leader with Excel Madrid/Barcelona, Cuba, and Amherst, as well as with Cultural Exploration Thailand/Cambodia. She is excited to return to the Global Awareness in Action campus at Yale after serving as its Assistant Director last summer. Besides traveling, Melissa enjoys dancing, biking, cooking, and gardening. She is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Portuguese.

Public Health

Malawi

MARISSA PERRY SAINTS: University of Arizona, B.A., International Studies and Economic Development. Marissa lived and worked at in Malawi for one year in 2006 conducting art workshops at the Ekwendeni Youth AIDS Center. While there, she coached a high school girls soccer team through the Malawi Northern Region Women’s soccer league, built libraries with primary and secondary schools, and started a school mural project with a local government school. Marissa completed her undergraduate thesis on micro-credit lending and community-based development. Her research, combined with hands-on experience in Malawi, has convinced her that entrepreneurship is a powerful and effective approach to economic development. Currently, Marissa owns and operates Dsenyo, an ethical fashion company committed to offering sustainable accessories, featuring the art of African textile design. Marissa’s goal is to share the art of African textiles with people in the U.S. and to contribute to the economic development and social welfare of the women in Malawi. Dsenyo's products are currently made in the USA, and Marissa's goal is to become a Fair Trade company, creating much needed jobs for women in Malawi. Marissa enjoys playing soccer, teaching art classes for kids, serving on the Board of a local art group, and jogging with her dog. She is proficient in Chichewa.

MICHAEL BUCKLER: Cornell University, B.S., magna cum laude, Electrical Engineering; Duke University, Juris Doctor. Michael was raised in LaPlata, Maryland, a small town outside of Washington, D.C. After college and law school, he returned to the D.C. area to clerk for a federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia. Following a federal clerkship in Memphis, TN, Michael spent four years practicing as a patent litigator in Portland, OR. From 2006-08, he served as a Peace Corps teacher in Malawi, where he organized a rural village to construct a boarding facility for female students, and led the planning and implementation of a nationwide education camp for indigent students. Since returning to the U.S., he has been living in Washington, D.C., and writing a book about his Peace Corps experience. In his spare time, Michael has traveled extensively in Europe, the Caribbean Islands, India, and Africa. He likes to read, write, hike, and cycle. Michael has traveled throughout the entire country of Malawi and is fluent in Chichewa.

Rwanda

FIONA LITTLEJOHN-CARRILLO: Yale University, B.A., Political Science. During her Studies at Yale, Fiona focused on the areas of International Development and Poverty alleviation and took every opportunity to work or conduct research in the field. She spent a summer working in rural Kenya with an NGO focusing on youth development programs. During this time she was involved in the creation of a HIV/AIDS educational awareness program for high school and middle school students in the region. The following year Fiona travelled to Western Nepal to spend the summer working in an NGO that focused on the rights of the ‘untouchable caste’. During her junior year she spent a semester in Cameroon on a study abroad program focusing on development and social change, she then remained in the country conducting research for her thesis on the effects of culture on micro-credit success. Fiona will be heading to London next year to pursue a Masters in Development Studies at the London School of Economics. She is half Mexican, half English, grew up in Italy, England, and Oman, is fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, and French, and is studying Portuguese.

DAN SHEFFIELD: Miami University, B.S., Zoology, minor in Italian; Loma Linda University, MPH, Maternal and Child Health, Health Promotion and Education; Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine, DO candidate. After completing his undergraduate education Dan served as a Peace Corps Volunteer from 2003-2005 in Tanzania. Dan’s main function was teaching Biology, Physics, and Chemistry at the secondary school level. Along with the coursework he also conducted workshops and classroom education in HIV/AIDS, gender equality, and life skills. Dan also volunteered at the local village clinic where he administered vaccines and birth control shots, monitored and evaluated children's weights and growth patterns, conducted educational seminars, and initiated a women’s exercise program. After his time as a Peace Corps volunteer, Dan spent five months taking the long way home and traveling around the world (including time spent in Rwanda). The disparities he saw during his travels inspired Dan to get his Masters in Public Health. He is currently finishing his first year in medical school. Dan has worked with youth in various settings and led a public health focused trip for teens this past summer in Belize. Dan’s travels have taken him throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, New Zealand, and North and Central America. When he is not in the classroom, or abroad you can find him enjoying the outdoors. Daniel is proficient in Kiswahili.

South Africa

ANNA KNUTSON: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Global Studies and English Literature, minor in French Studies. While in school, Anna studied international human rights, literature, politics, and the culture of southern Africa. She spent 5 months in Durban, South Africa, studying international and grassroots development, as well as other social issues. Upon her return, she completed an honors thesis on how land reform is manifested in South African politics and literature. Throughout college, Anna worked as a mentor to high school youth, was involved in student government, taught adult ESL classes, and led after-school programs for young African immigrant girls through the MN African Women’s Association. After graduation, Anna joined Teach for America and continues to teach 8th grade English Language Arts in the New York City public schools. She is currently completing her Masters in Secondary Education and is looking into graduate programs in human rights, international development, public health, and law. In her spare time, she plays volleyball, dodgeball, enjoys distance running, biking, and yoga, and spends time cooking, exploring the arts and music scene in New York and, of course, traveling. This will be Anna’s second summer with Putney. She led this Global Action program to South Africa in the summer of 2008. Anna speaks conversational French, basic Norwegian, and basic isiZulu.

DAN SHAFER: St. Lawrence University, B.A., Global Studies, Sociology, and African Studies. At St. Lawrence, Dan was president of the Outing Club and led students on outdoor trips around the East Coast. An alumnus of the National Outdoor Leadership School, he studied a semester in the Rockies, focusing on environmental ethics and local ecology while learning whitewater paddling, rock climbing, canyoneering, and horse packing. Dan studied abroad in both Kenya and Ethiopia, during which time he worked with the Social Development Network addressing problems faced by community-based organizations. He later received a grant to return to Kenya to write his two senior honors theses on socio-political problems there. His research and outreach allowed him to build relationships with numerous NGOs in East Africa ranging in scope from HIV/AIDS outreach in the slums of Nairobi to rural education in Uganda. In the summer of 2007 Dan led a community service program in Thailand, teaching English, rehabilitating schools, and helping rural communities. When he's not working or studying Dan spends his time volunteering and traveling. In this past year he worked with IWOKRAMA Rainforest Conservation and Research center in Guyana, as well as built homes for a squatter community outside Granada, Nicaragua, with Casas de Esperanza. A travel enthusiast, Dan has found himself hiking in the Alps, train trekking in Egypt, biking around Thailand, and driving across the United States among other trips. Dan is certified in Wilderness First Aid by the Wilderness Medical Institute and Wilderness Medical Associates. This will be Dan’s second summer with Putney. He led a Community Service program in Tanzania in 2008. Dan is proficient in Kiswahili, French, and Spanish.

World Issues

Cambodia

JENNIFER BROWN: Wesleyan University, B.A., East Asian Studies and Government. While at Wesleyan, Jennifer spent a semester during her junior year studying abroad in China. Upon her return to campus, she directed an outreach program for grade school students in Connecticut, introducing them to East Asian culture through hands-on learning activities. After graduation she worked for a small non-profit in Washington, D.C., researching U.S. foreign policy in Asia. Jennifer spent a year working in Beijing as a Princeton-in-Asia fellow at a local travel company, designing educational student travel programs throughout China. Most recently, Jennifer has been working as a tour leader, taking small groups on cultural journeys throughout Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and China. In her free time she enjoys running, eating local food, and playing frisbee. This will be Jennifer’s third summer with Putney. She was part of Putney’s Excel China staff in 2006 and 2007. Jennifer is fluent in Chinese and proficient in Spanish and French.

NATHANIEL MARCUS: Middlebury College, B.A., Political Science. Nate spent his summers in high school in Spain traveling, taking classes, and working in a tile factory. While in college, Nate served for three months teaching English in a Costa Rican school, living with a host family, and building a community center. Nate studied abroad with Antioch College's Buddhist Studies Program in Japan, where he lived in several monasteries. For three summers Nate taught high school Spanish at the immersion Concordia Language Villages in Minnesota, and he taught high school Spanish for one year at the Marianapolis Preparatory School in Thompson, Connecticut. He now leads semester trips with LEAPNow and Carpe Diem Education to Central America and India. This will be Nate’s fifth summer with Putney. He has led Language Learning programs in Spain and Argentina and a Community Service program in Ecuador. He is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Portuguese.

China

JULIA TONG: Tufts University, B.A., magna cum laude, International Relations. While at Tufts, Julia spent two semesters studying in Beijing and in Hangzhou with the CET and CV Starr-Middlebury programs. During her year abroad she also served as a member of Tuft’s Engineers Without Borders in Tibet, building sustainable infrastructure projects and facilitating educational workshops on village health, sanitation, water quality, and technology. Her other volunteer experiences include mentoring recently immigrated Chinese high school students and initiating a series of educational programs on diversity, global resources, and the rise of China and India at Tufts. She has backpacked extensively through China photographing minority villages. This past year Julia co-founded the SAT Edge, a completely free SAT tutoring program based in Chinatown, New York, for high school students. Along with 6 other volunteers, Julia teaches SAT classes every Saturday at a local high school to a class of 30 students. She will be starting New York University Law School in the fall. This will be Julia’s second summer with Putney. She led this Global Action China program in 2008. Julia is fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin.

MICHAEL LEVY: Cornell University, B.A., magna cum laude, Philosophy; Columbia University, M.A.T., History. Mike has taught and traveled in Israel, Europe, and China. From 2005-2008, he and his wife served as Peace Corps volunteers in western China where they taught English and became Mahjiang fanatics. Mike was also on the Guizhou Provincial basketball team, earning the nickname "Shaq" despite being only 5'11''. Henry Holt and Co. will publish a memoir of his experiences in China in the fall of 2010. Before joining the Peace Corps, Mike taught U.S. History and American Literature at Moorestown Friends School in New Jersey. He is currently on the faculty at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire. This will be Mike’s second summer with Putney. He led this Global Action China program in 2008. He is highly proficient in Mandarin.

El Salvador

SARAH MACKIN: Bryn Mawr College, B.A., Sociology and African-American Studies. During her undergraduate career, Sarah took on the role of community activist and organizer both on campus and in the surrounding communities. She helped found and facilitate the Hot Topics program, an extension of the Intercultural Affairs Office of Bryn Mawr College. As a sophomore, Sarah travelled to Guatemala with a Human Rights delegation, working with various local organizations dedicated to restoring social justice in the country. Moved by what she experienced, Sarah returned to Guatemala independently to work as a healthcare worker with the founders of a fledgling non-profit, The Guatemala Healthcare project. Sarah traveled to South America as a Mellon-Mays Fellowship recipient to conduct research with Indigenous Mapuche social activists in Chile and Argentina. She volunteered as an HIV/AIDS educator with the homeless in Philadelphia. She developed and implemented an ESL curriculum for a local Boston women’s shelter, and created a public health class and focus group for young, low-income undocumented mothers in Philadelphia. Sarah recently returned from a year-long post as a volunteer teacher in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, and is currently working with a fair-trade coffee company to create a charitable foundation to benefit coffee-farming communities in Latin America. She looks forward to pursuing a degree in Public Health or Public Policy. Sarah is fluent in Spanish.

BRIAN MIKEL: Tufts University, B.A., International Relations. During high school Brian participated on community service trips to Sonora, Mexico, which fostered a desire to learn more about Latin American cultures, people, and idioms. Prior to enrolling at Tufts University, Brian spent the year in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student. He also spent a summer teaching English at the Center for Exchange and Solidarity in El Salvador. Later, he continued his teaching in Boston at the Brazilian Immigrant Center. Brian then returned to El Salvador to research community-based microfinance institutions. He has traveled and studied in Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Uruguay. A passionate soccer fan and player, Brian has played semi-professionally in Argentina and earned regional honors playing at the collegiate level. Brian currently lives in Los Angeles and works enforcing equal employment opportunity legislation. This will be Brian’s second summer with Putney. He led this Global Action El Salvador program in the summer of 2006. Brian is fluent in Spanish.

India

JOANNA CANTOR: Colorado College, B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, English with emphasis on creative writing, minor in Buddhist Studies; Brooklyn College, M.F.A. candidate. Joanna was a mentor to first-year students and editor in chief of Colorado College’s literary magazine. During her junior year she studied Buddhist meditation and anthropology in Northern India and then traveled to Sikkim to research the effects of tourism on traditional Tibetan culture. After graduation from Colorado College, she wrote for a newspaper in Portland, OR, and spent a month traveling in Thailand and Laos. Currently she lives in New York City, where she edits travel guidebooks at Fodor’s/Random House. This fall she is heading to Brooklyn College to get her M.F.A. in fiction and teach English composition.

ANDREW FRANKEL: Fairfield University, B.A. Religious Studies with a minor in Peace and Justice Studies, Columbia University, M.A. Buddhist Studies. Andrew was awarded a full athletic scholarship to play soccer at Fairfield University. In addition to goalkeeping for the Division I team, he wrote opinion and commentary articles for the Fairfield University Paper, and was active in the Students for Social Justice Club. During his undergraduate studies Andrew spent a semester at Vesalius College in Brussels, Belgium. After graduation he played professional soccer with the Baltimore Blast of the MISL. Andrew has worked as a camp counselor at Camp Belknap and Camp Touissett and also worked as a fundraiser for Clean Water Action in Providence, RI gathering and distributing funds to various public interest groups. Andrew spent 5 months at the Ranjung Yeshe Institute in Kathmandu, Nepal. While there, he taught English for Nepali and refugee Tibetan children in Bodha, Kathmandu at the Vajrayana School. He returned there the following year for a Tibetan Language Summer Intensive. Andrew currently works as a tutor in New York City for middle and high school age students. He is fluent in French and Tibetan and proficient in Nepali.

Language Learning

Argentina Language Learning

KAREN RUSSELL: Northwestern University, B.A., summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, English Literature & Spanish, Columbia University, M.F.A. While at Northwestern University, Karen studied abroad in Spain at the Universidad de Sevilla, where she was a member of the government-sponsored Solidarios volunteer program participating in leadership seminars in Jerez de la Frontera and Cádiz alongside dozens of Spanish teenagers. Karen currently teaches as an adjunct English professor at Williams College and Columbia University. She will be a Cullman Center Fellow at the New York Public Library for 2009-10. Her story collection, "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves," was published by Knopf in 2007 and was named a Best Book by the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Chicago Tribune. Her stories have appeared in the New Yorker, Granta, Conjunctions, Best American Short Stories, and the New York Times. Her novel, “Swamplandia!,” is forthcoming from Knopf/Random House. This will be Karen's fifth summer leading with Putney. She has led two Language Learning programs in Spain, a Cultural Exploration program in Australia, New Zealand, & Fiji, and Putney’s Creative Writing program in Cuba. Karen is fluent in Spanish.

MATT HOLLANDER: Vanderbilt University, B.A., Spanish, magna cum laude; Peabody College at Vanderbilt University, M.Ed., Special Education. While at Vanderbilt, Matt worked as a radio DJ and began an initiative mentoring young adults with Down syndrome. He also participated in his university’s Alternative Spring Break program, volunteering as a tutor on the Lakota Sioux reservation in South Dakota, and working with hurricane relief and advocacy for Haitian and Cuban refugees in Miami. He led a program in Dallas, TX, as a hippotherapist – enabling students with special needs to gain confidence and joy through working with horses. Matt studied abroad in Santiago, Chile, where he had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the country, helping local communities build homes while furthering his Spanish skills. After receiving his Masters degree, Matt moved to Montevideo, Uruguay, where he worked as the International Programs Coordinator for Un Techo Para Mi Pais to build 17 houses with over 150 university students from the U.S., Canada, France, Israel, Argentina, and Uruguay. After 14 months in Uruguay, Matt started a grassroots tutoring company in Nashville, TN, with a focus on cultural identity/diversity in urban schools. Matt is a published author in the Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences for his research on Hispanic acculturation in urban schools. Matt currently works at a middle school in Evanston, IL, as a bilingual special educator, where he also coaches boy’s basketball. He is a Putney Student Travel alumnus. As a high school student, Matt participated in a Putney Community Service Program in Costa Rica. He is fluent in Spanish.

Costa Rica Language Learning

HANNAH EWERT-KROCKER: B.A. Vassar College, Geography and Anthropology. Hannah grew up on a farm in rural Northeastern Ohio, where she learned to love being outside. Hannah knew by the time she reached college that she wanted to study people and their relationship to place. Through her studies in Geography and Anthropology at Vassar, Hannah discovered that she also had an interest in indigenous cultures which inspired her to minor in Native American Studies. While at Vassar, Hannah traveled to the Sonora/Arizona region of the U.S.-Mexico border on a study trip and again as a volunteer for No More Deaths, a humanitarian aid organization. During her junior year, she lived and studied in Oaxaca, Mexico. Hannah spent this past summer in Costa Rica as a research assistant. Together with a professor from Vassar, she interviewed migrant women in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica about their lives, families, and jobs. In her free time, Hannah enjoys singing, writing, meeting new people, and growing vegetables. Hannah is fluent in Spanish.

JESUS RUIZ: St. Lawrence University, B.A., Spanish with Honors, minor in Caribbean and Latin American Studies. While at St. Lawrence, Jesus was involved in many community service, human rights, and social justice campaigns. He also worked with Oxfam, Amnesty International, Habitat for Humanity, and A Latino Multicultural Alliance. He was an active leader inside and outside of the classroom and was involved in Varsity Track and Field. Jesus completed a year-long program in Spain during his sophomore year and a semester-long program in Costa Rica his junior year. He won a research grant to conduct a study about Augusto Cesar Sandino as a revolutionary icon in Nicaragua. Together with nine other classmates, Jesus traveled to Jamaica to complete a service project for a hurricane-affected village in the Blue Mountains as part of a course on the history of Jamaica and the Caribbean. He concluded his St. Lawrence experience by writing a Senior Honor's thesis comparing Emiliano Zapata of Mexico and Augusto Sandino of Nicaragua as revolutionary icons. Jesus has traveled to Canada, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Bolivia, Peru, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. His best memories include hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru, riding camels by the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, seeing the Mayan ruins of Tikal in Guatemala, going to the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and a 20 day-5 country trek through Central America. Jesus is fluent in Spanish.

France Language Learning - Group A

KAREN PHILLIPS: Saint Lawrence University, B.A., cum laude, French. Karen caught the travel bug between high school and college while spending a year as an AFS exchange student in Switzerland. At Saint Lawrence, Karen studied abroad in France and Senegal, focusing her studies on francophone literature and culture. During college she worked as a writing mentor, teaching assistant, and French tutor, ran track, and was an active member of the Laurentian Singers and the Swinging Saints, a student run swing dancing club. Karen has traveled extensively in Eastern and Western Europe, the United States, West Africa and Australia. Karen currently works full time at the Putney office in Vermont as an Associate Director coordinating programs in France, Switzerland, Italy, Senegal, and Australia. In her free time, she enjoys running, skiing, rock climbing, and playing yoga ball soccer. This will be Karen’s third year with Putney. She has led this Language Learning program in France and a Community Service program in Senegal. Karen is fluent in French.

NOAH SABICH: Bates College, B.A. in French and History. Middlebury College School in France, M.A. University of Connecticut, M.A., Ph.D. (ABD). Noah has lived, studied, and traveled extensively in France and throughout Europe. He has studied at the University of Poitiers and the Sorbonne. Drawn by literature and culture, he opted for the study of post-colonialism. As part of his Ph.D. dissertation, he intends to show how indigenous Tahitians navigate their often opposing, combative identities (French/Tahitian) in a colonial island society. Noah has taught English to French high school students in Paris, and French to American university students. When not working or traveling, Noah enjoys surfing, soccer, the Basque country, Polynesian literature, biking, and swimming. Noah lives in Paris, where he works as the Assistant Director for the University of Connecticut study abroad program. This will be his third summer with Putney. He has taught French, Creative Writing, and French Cuisine on Putney Student Travel’s Excel program in France. Noah is fluent in French and Latin and proficient in German and Spanish.

France Language Learning - Group B for 8th and 9th Graders

LAURA SENNETT: Georgetown University, B.S.F.S., Culture and Politics, African Studies Certificate. While at Georgetown, Laura's studies concentrated on analyzing the role that culture plays in various forms of government and the creation of national identity. She complemented her study of culture and politics with French and African Studies. Laura studied abroad in Dakar, Senegal, during her junior year of college. While in Senegal, Laura taught English at a community center, interned at a women’s rights NGO, and traveled extensively throughout the country. At Georgetown, Laura was a tour guide for visitors on campus and a Senior Editor of The Hoya, the main campus newspaper. During her college years, Laura spent her summers as a camp counselor in the north woods of Wisconsin, and as an intern at Washington Post Newsweek Interactive and ABC News. She has throughout France. Laura has spent this past year living in Hong Kong as a Princeton in Asia fellow teaching English at Shue Yan University and writing for Time Out Hong Kong Magazine. This will be Laura’s second summer with Putney. Last summer she led a Community Service program in Senegal. Laura is fluent in French and proficient in Mandarin and Wolof.

TIM DEARY: Amherst College, B.A. in French and Sociology. While at Amherst, Tim spent a semester in Paris, France studying French language, culture, and literature at Paris III, l’Université Sorbonne Nouvelle. While in France, Tim also worked as an English tutor for French high school students. Upon returning to Amherst, Tim assumed this same role, tutoring his fellow students in French grammar and pronunciation. In addition to his studies, Tim served as the business manager of Amherst’s internationally renowned a cappella group, The Amherst College Zumbyes. In his free time he participated in Amherst Dance and played soccer, basketball, and ultimate frisbee. Tim is the recipient of the Frederick King Turgeon prize for excellence in French at Amherst College. Beginning in September, Tim will continue his teaching career as a teaching assistant in Nice, France. He is fluent in French.

Spain Language Learning - Group A

BRITT DORAN: Brown University, B.A., International Development. What began as a quick trip to Spain in high school to visit a family friend, has turned into a life of travel for Britt. While at Brown, she studied abroad in Ecuador and volunteered with an adolescent health education project. Her travels continued with the Brown University Chorus, touring to Costa Rica, Finland, and Russia. Britt moved to Costa Rica upon graduation where she worked as a dorm supervisor and music teacher at the Country Day School in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. She then moved to Segovia, Spain, for two years and worked as a co-director of Proctor Academy's high school study abroad program where she could be found preparing paella, dancing sevillanas, and hiking the rolling hills of the Spanish countryside. Britt currently works as an Associate Director at Putney Student Travel, coordinating programs in Costa Rica and Spain. When not traveling, Britt enjoys spending time near the water in her home state of Rhode Island. This will be Britt’s fourth summer with Putney. She has led a Language Learning program in Costa Rica and co-directed Putney’s Costa Rica Foundations program. Last year she led Putney's Community Service program in the Dominican Republic. Britt is fluent in Spanish.

JEREMY SNYDER: Davidson College, B.A., Spanish, pre-medical concentration. Jeremy took full advantage of study abroad opportunities during his undergraduate experience. He traveled to Venezuela in 2006, where he participated in various service learning projects. Later he traveled to Kenya with a pre-medical program through Davidson College, where he shadowed physicians and observed surgeries at two Nairobi hospitals. Jeremy has spent time in Nicaragua, learning about developing non-profit organizations and humanitarian programs. Jeremy spent four months studying at the Universidad de Sevilla. He traveled extensively throughout the country, making excursions through Andalucía, Galicia, País Vasco, and Cataluña. Jeremy has worked as a summer camp counselor, leading students through rappelling, climbing, and high ropes challenge courses. He directed a service organization that taught swim lessons to Spanish-speaking children. Jeremy has also worked at a local free clinic, translating for Spanish-speaking patients. He is fluent in Spanish.

Spain Language Learning - Group C for 8th and 9th Graders

BERGEN KAY: Trinity College, B.A., American Studies with minors in Women´s Studies and Spanish Studies. Bergen has dedicated herself to travel and studying Spanish. She has traveled through Europe, Asia, and Central and South America. She spent a college semester abroad in Barcelona, Spain, and one in Morelia, Mexico, where she volunteered with non-profit arts organizations. After graduating from college, Bergen worked in public relations in New York City. When not at work Bergen volunteered with children at Bellevue Hospital. Bergen has spent this past year traveling through Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. While in Argentina she spent a month volunteering at a children's center outside of Buenos Aires. Bergen loves music, reading, traveling, yoga, outdoor sports, and exploring cultures through food. During high school, Bergen was a student on a Putney Language Learning program in Spain where she fell in love with Spanish culture. She is fluent in Spanish.

KATE PALLIN: Hamilton College, B.A., Hispanic Studies; Middlebury College School in Spain, M.A., Spanish. At Hamilton, Kate worked as a tutor at the Writing Center, directed Hamilton’s Community Service organization, and was a captain of the women’s varsity crew team. She wrote her senior thesis on the creation of a feminine space in the culture and politics of Spain after the death of Dictator Francisco Franco. She spent a summer in León, Spain, living with a family and studying at the Universidad de León. She returned to Madrid to complete her Masters degree in Spanish. She became especially interested in Spanish art, architecture, and film. While in Spain Kate lived with a Spanish family and competed as a member of Madrid’s rowing club. In her free time, she traveled extensively throughout Spain and Europe enjoying the vast culinary differences at each stop. Since finishing her Masters degree, Kate has dedicated herself to sharing her two loves with students: rowing and Spanish. She currently teaches Spanish at the Fairfield Country Day School in Fairfield, CT. This past year Kate directed and coached the Old Lyme Rowing Association’s summer rowing programs in Old Lyme, CT. Kate is fluent in Spanish.

LANE GOLDEN: Tulane University, B.A., cum laude, Spanish, International Development, and Latin American Studies. Lane's interest in Spanish began as a child in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas, and has continued since then. He traveled twice during high school to study in Spain, in both Santander and Salamanca. While at Tulane, Lane studied abroad in both Argentina and Spain, where he had the opportunity to live in a homestay with a local family and in university dorms with fellow students. During college, Lane was actively involved in the Kappa Alpha Order Fraternity, as well as the Tulane Squash Team, serving as Captain his senior year. Lane is an active outdoorsman who enjoys to bird hunt, fly fish, and snow ski around the world. Next fall Lane will begin his first year of law school at Tulane University. Lane is a Putney Student Travel alumnus. During high school he participated on a Language Learning program in Costa Rica. Lane is fluent in Spanish.


Cultural Exploration Programs

Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji

MERRILL STABLER: St. Lawrence University, B.A., magna cum laude, Spanish & Performance and Communication Arts, Minor in Caribbean and Latin American Studies. Merrill spent her time at St. Lawrence working in the University’s Spanish Writing Center and volunteering at the local middle school as a teaching assistant for Spanish classes. She participated in SLU Buddies, an after-school program connecting college students and children from the local community. While at St. Lawrence Merrill performed in multiple theater and dance productions, and worked behind the scenes as a Teacher’s Assistant for Stage Lighting. She was a choreographer for the St. Lawrence Dance Team, as well as a University tour guide. Merrill spent 5 months living and studying in Costa Rica during which time she traveled extensively throughout the country. Last year Merrill worked at The Hotchkiss School teaching Spanish, coaching diving, and helping with the theater department. Merrill plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Spanish. She loves meeting new people, dancing, music, and the outdoors. This will be Merrill's second summer with Putney. Last year she led a Community Service program in Costa Rica. She is fluent in Spanish.

TOM SIMUNOVIC: St. Lawrence University, B.A., cum laude, Global Studies with Honors & Spanish, minor in Caribbean and Latin American Studies. While at St. Lawrence, Tom participated in and led several student social justice and community service organizations such as Amnesty International, Habitat for Humanity, One-to-One Mentoringm, and Oxfam, which he founded and presided over his junior year. Tom has traveled to over 20 countries including semester-long study abroad programs in Spain and Costa Rica; a community service project in Nicaragua; a history course in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany; a research grant to study national reconciliation processes in Spain and Italy; a research trip to the Mexico-US border to study borderland identities; extensive travel in Chile, his father’s homeland; and backpacking through many other amazing countries including Egypt, Peru, Portugal, Belgium, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia. Tom looks forward to sharing his contagious enthusiasm, adventurous spirit, and educational experience with students on his second Putney summer program. Tom led this Cultural Exploration Australia, New Zealand, Fiji program last summer. He is fluent in Spanish.