Why Choose ASA?

After earning her M.S. in Higher Education Administration at Florida State, Mary went to Germany for a year. She interned in the International Programs Office in Karlsruhe and taught in-company Business English. Besides traveling, she enjoys creative writing and photography. Her professional interest is in student development theory as related to international experiences. She has also worked in recruitment and career services and can tell you how studying and interning abroad will boost your resume ahead of others at job search time. (Ja, Si, Jo, Da, Oui!) Mary grew up in a military family, which she claims has fueled her desire to travel the world and explore new cultures. She tries to add a new country every year to her passport! Mary says, "Venturing out on my own to new places has been the best challenge I ever gave myself." As the Programs Advisor for ASA in the Southeast her area includes Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, Kentucky, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Dr. Katie Roller DiDonato is the Assistant Director - Student Welfare & Alumni Affairs based in Long Beach, CA. She holds a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from UCLA and her research assesses study abroad students’ intercultural competence and the effectiveness of an experiential curriculum that emphasizes focused reflection and culturally relevant pedagogy. While attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Katie spent her junior year abroad in London, England, which shaped the trajectory of her career, leading to roles as a university-based Study Abroad Director, co-founder of Lessons From Abroad and Director of People Operations for a technology start-up. Katie is passionate about helping students unpack the significance of a study abroad experience so as to reflect upon how it can parlay into career and employment opportunities. Katie lives in Long Beach with her husband Steve and enjoys attending concerts, watching the Packers and Rangers and riding her Peloton.

Kelly Kirkwood, Ed.D., is a Senior Programs Advisor located in Indianapolis, Indiana. She earned her doctorate in Adult, Community, and Higher Education from Ball State University. Kelly has been helping college students study abroad since 2002. She has experience studying abroad in England, working abroad in Australia, and living in Japan. She knows what it is like to take that first step into a new country. Her favorite part of her work is helping students gain the confidence to navigate a new culture. In her free time Kelly enjoys listening to podcasts and spending time with her husband and two daughters.

Katia is a Senior Programs Advisor for ASA and works in the Durham, NH office. She grew up in California with a family that loved to travel and host international exchange students – she definitely caught the travel bug at an early age! She received her B.A. from University of California, Davis in International Relations and Russian. Katia studied abroad in Russia the summer and fall of her senior year and eventually was able to pass off as Russian and get the ‘locals’ price into the museums – not an easy feat! She traveled the world for a few years before earning her M.S. in Environmental Education in Oregon. Katia now lives in New Hampshire and enjoys surfing, snow boarding, kayaking, hiking, scuba diving, and traveling with her husband and two sons. The part she loves most about her job is helping students get started on one of the most memorable experiences of their lives – study abroad.

Dr. Anika Goldman earned her Master's degree from Harvard University in Human Development and Psychology and a Doctorate from Yeshiva University in School-Clinical Child Psychology. Before opening up her private practice in Boston, MA, where she currently sees patients, Dr. Goldman was the chief of the behavioral health department in the Chestnut Hill-West Roxbury office of Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates. She has worked with children, adolescents, adults and their families at hospitals, day treatment, and outpatient programs. Dr. Goldman serves as a consultant and adviser to ASA staff on issues relating to mental health, wellness, and student support. She is also available by appointment on a fee-paying basis for psychotherapy sessions by video with ASA students abroad and consultation with parents of ASA students.

Santi began his professional journey while pursuing a degree in Educational Sciences, at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). During this time, he gained hands-on experience by organizing international programs for Spanish students. After spending over 14 years teaching, he later served at Fundació Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, where he dedicated over a decade to managing and expanding study abroad programs. Through this role, Santi navigated numerous challenges, honing his ability to identify and foster the intercultural competencies essential for students coming to Spain to participate in these programs. Santi is also the founder of Study Abroad Services, a startup dedicated to helping international students and foreign institutions discover the ideal academic programs in Spain. In his free time, Santi enjoys outdoor activities, with a particular passion for mountain biking.

Richard was born and raised in the U.S. and completed his Bachelor's and Master's degrees at Oregon State University and his Ph.D at Tulane University. He was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Provincia del Tungurahua, Ecuador where he facilitated classes on agricultural methods, marketing, bookkeeping, mathematics, and worked with farmers on an individual basis. He then began his career first as a Professor of Spanish, then as Associate Director at the International Programs division of the University of Oregon. In 2006 Richard moved to Barcelona with his wife Elena, who is from Barcelona, and the rest, as they say, is history. Richard loves showing his students the city that he now calls home and helping them adjust to the Spanish way of life.

Steven was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio but knew at an early age that his love for language, culture and travel would take him to other countries. Steven earned an M.B.A. and M.S.I.B. (Master of Science in International Business) at the University of Miami (FL) and has a B.A. in Spanish and Economics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (MA). He is also a certified Myers Briggs practitioner. Over the past 15+ years Steven has lived in Buenos Aires, Madrid, and London, eventually settling in Sevilla (Spain) where he has been working in the field of international education and study abroad for over 10 years. He is happily married to a Spaniard and has two wonderful daughters and hopes to help provide students with the same wonderful study abroad opportunities he had as an undergraduate student.

Ellie has lived in Seville since 2018, when she first came to the city for a 3-month internship, but fell in love with its charm and never left. Growing up in New Zealand, her first experience with Spanish was during a 6-month high school exchange to Córdoba, Argentina. With a passion for the language, she continued studying Spanish, eventually majoring in it at university with the dream of one day living again in a Spanish-speaking country. Through her student exchange and her teaching experience here in Seville, she recognizes the importance of international education and the experiences and memories that you gain through it.

Originally from Naples, in southern Italy, Chiara lived in Australia, Syria, and Spain, before settling down in Florence, where she has been for ten years. She speaks Italian, English, Arabic, and Spanish fluently. Needless to say, Chiara loves to travel and seek out new adventures! During her 10 years in Florence she has worked with study abroad students to make them feel comfortable and welcome. Chiara is also a licensed tour guide in Florence, so has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Italian and Florentine history. When she isn’t working with the ASA students, Chiara loves to run, swim, cook, and spend time with her children, Elena and Matteo, as well as her husband, Cesare.

Federica is originally from the town of Camposanpiero, which is near Padova, in the north of Italy. She originally came to Florence to study Art History at the University of Florence, but loved it so much she decided to stay. She loves living in Florence because she can walk everywhere, but is “surrounded by the signs of a long and meaningful past”. She is a licensed tour guide in Florence and also teaches a class on Renaissance Art.

Maria was born in Barcelona, where her love for languages started, but she has always felt that she’s a citizen of the world. She speaks Spanish, Catalan, English, French, Italian, and Portuguese. She spent a year in the U.S. before starting a career that has always rotated around tourism and travelling. She started working in the aviation field, then moved to Italy 20 years ago to start a career in event and conference planning. Her favorite part of being with students is showing them around in Rome and travelling with them to discover new places together. In her free time, she likes to go to the movies, or a concert, or eat out and –of course- she loves to travel!!

Annalisa was born in Sorrento and loves to show off her city and region to all the ASA students who study there. She started working in tourism in high school and has spent her career working with tourists and visitors to Sorrento. Annalisa speaks Italian, English, and French, and hopes that her students will work to improve their knowledge of Italian. She hopes that all her students will experience all that Sorrento has to offer and that they leave with the city in their hearts. In her free time, Annalisa loves spending time with her three children.

Olwyn is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to information related to both Dublin and Ireland. Having run her own company, Over The Top Tours, for the past 17 years, she always has great recommendations for things to do in Dublin and places to go in Ireland. She has an honours degree in History and Politics from University College Dublin (UCD) and a diploma in Law Studies from the Dublin Institute of Technology. Olwyn is married and has a daughter. She loves reading, travelling, sailing, culture, theatre, cinema and music.

Being a Londoner through and through, Tori revel’s in sharing the Capital’s iconic landmarks and quirky hidden gems with everyone who comes to study London. Since graduating from the University of Surrey she has worked in international student travel for 17 years, building up invaluable knowledge on the best ways for students to settle in, and useful tips to help explore London and the rest of Europe. She loves to travel with her family, from neighboring Cardiff, Wales exploring down an old coal mine, to Durban, South Africa where she went on Safari. With three football crazy sons she also has a keen interest in English football.

In addition to being our Aberdeen Site Director, Dr Shannon Babbie is a Senior Lecturer of Education (Associate Professor) at the University of Aberdeen. He also serves as a Trustee of the Board of Directors of Autism & Neurodiversity North Scotland, an Aberdeen-based autism education service and charity. Shannon is a veteran teacher and skilful educational leader with over twenty years’ experience across teaching & training, coaching & mentorship, human resource leadership, and higher education instruction. Shannon’s professional research centres around the intersection of autism, teacher education, and higher education policy. Shannon lives near Aberdeen, Scotland with his partner, Elizabeth, and when not working focuses on his interests in cycling, hill walking, and travel.

Laura discovered her love for travel, cultures and languages early on. She spent her junior year of high school in the United States and later studied abroad in Madrid, Spain during her undergrad. After graduating with a MA in North American Studies, she moved to Maastricht to start her job as a programme coordinator for CES. For the past decade Laura has supported students in making the best out of their study abroad experience and she looks forward to welcoming many more students to Maastricht.

Yuko Yamauchi is a graduate of Hokkaido University Medical School in Sapporo, Japan, and a certified occupational therapist. For 6 years she worked in Rehabilitation Therapy for the Red Cross Hospital in northern Hokkaido. Recently earning her degree in Psychology from University of Indianapolis, she plays an important role in our Paros program both as counselor and coordinator of student affairs. She also oversees the orientation and cultural excursions so integral to HISA’s vision of social and creative immersion into the Greek island atmosphere.

Pamela is originally from Buenos Aires but spent most of her childhood in Madrid, Spain. She is a psychologist and also worked as a professor at the Public University of Buenos Aires. She speaks Spanish and English fluently. She studied abroad in San Francisco, California for a semester. It was an experience that changed her life in many ways as it opened her mind and made her see things from a different perspective. She enjoys working with international students and helping them in the process of experiencing a different way of living, feeling, and thinking. She likes showing US students her customs and culture from the point of view of a local who loves her country. She loves spending time with her son and her husband, listening to music, and enjoying the rich cultural and social life that her beautiful city offers.

Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Kathleen has her degree in Social Work from Franciscan University, and has lived in Chile for over three years. She fell in love with the culture and life “a la Chilena” while she studied Spanish there during her junior year of college. After working in Santiago for a year, she decided she needed to be closer to the ocean, and moved to Viña del Mar. She loves helping students understand Chilean culture, and is always willing to grab a café to talk about homesickness, help with travel plans, or help a student with their Spanish. Kathleen likes to kayak, hike, read, and spend her time finding the hidden secrets of Chile that you can’t find in a travel guide.