| Volume 12, Edition 8: May 2013 | *20 year Anniversary* |
We would like to congratulate Mike Elliott, Director of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), Norma Velazquez, Assistant Director of ISSS, and Denise Bellamy, Director of Study Abroad and Exchange (SAE) for receiving UNCG service pins this month. Mike and Denise received their five-year service pins, and Norma received her ten-year service pin. We appreciate all your hard work and dedication to UNCG and IPC. Congratulations to you all!
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| Mike Elliott, Director of ISSS | Norma Velazquez, Assistant Director of ISSS | Denise Bellamy, Director of SAE |
Farewell, Denise Bellamy
We are sad to goodbye to Denise Bellamy, our Director of Study Abroad and Exchange Programs (SAE). She has accepted admission into a full-time Higher Education PhD Program at Old Dominion University in Virginia and will be leaving IPC at the end of June.
Denise has been working at IPC since 2007, starting as the Assistant Director (Incoming Exchange) of SAE before becoming the Interim Director of SAE in 2008. She became the full Director of SAE in 2010. During her time here, Denise has been instrumental in monitoring and maintaining partnerships with our 100-plus partner universities, coordinating successful bilateral study abroad programming for outgoing and incoming exchange students, study abroad program marketing and recruitment, and enacting our overall internationalization efforts.
She is truly thankful for all the support and encouragement she has received over the past six years and is honored to have served as a member of the IPC team and the UNCG family. We will miss you, Denise, and we wish you the best in your future endeavors!
Farewell to our IPC Graduates
This May, IPC bids a fond farewell to our graduating student employees. We would like to congratulate the following graduates:
Undergraduates
Prasamsa Sharma, our Senior Front Desk Coordinator, has been working at IPC since August 2009. She will be graduating with a BS in Public Health, and has been admitted into graduate school here at UNCG to earn a Masters of Public Health with a focus on International Relations. She also hopes to study abroad again, either in South Africa or Central America. She studied abroad for the first time during the 2012 Spring semester in Manchester, England. “Working at IPC influenced me to study abroad,” she says, “and I would love to continue to encourage others to do the same.”
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| Prasamsa Sharma, Former Senior Front Desk Coordinator | Muhuba Mohamed, Former Front Desk Coordinator |
Another of our Front Desk Coordinators, Muhuba Mohamed, will also be graduating in May with a BS in Business Administration Studies. She has been working at IPC since September 2010. Her favorite part about being an IPC employee has been having the opportunity to meet and work with so many different people. “I’ve loved discovering how diverse UNCG’s campus is,” she says. “I’ve met a lot of people and learned so much from them.” After graduation, she hopes to work in international relations. Her ultimate goal is to return to Somalia, her home country, and open a non-profit school for girls. Travel is also in her plans; she will be going to Italy in May and hopes to eventually visit Asia.
Graduate Assistants
Pinyapat Chuchuen, an international graduate student from Bangkok, Thailand, has been a GA for International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) since July 2012. She is graduating with a MBA in Finance. One of the highlights of her last semester here at UNCG was participating in the 31st Annual International Festival, helping run the Thailand booth. “I was so proud to be a representative for Thailand, and I was glad to have the opportunity to tell people about my country and encourage them to travel there.” After graduation, she hopes to find a job in the US in her field and is aiming for a position in Financial Management.
Hongjoo Woo has been a GA for our International Admissions office since August 2012. An international student from Seoul, South Korea, she is graduating with a MS in Consumer Apparel and Retail Studies (CARS). Her favorite part about working at IPC has been having the opportunity to provide support to international students in need. “I like the feeling of helping students get through any urgent issues that might come up,” she says. From personal experience, she has learned how important having a support system is, especially when so far away from home. After graduating, she will be continuing her studies here at UNCG and will be entering the CARS PhD program.
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| Pinyapat Chuchuen, Former ISSS Graduate Assistant | Hongjoo Woo, Former International Admissions Office Graduate Assistant | Sadie Kneidel, Former GLP Coordinator |
Sadie Kneidel, our Global Leadership Program (GLP) Coordinator, is graduating with a MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She has been working at IPC since September 2011. “My international experiences as an undergraduate were the most impactful part of my college career,” she says, “and it has been very rewarding to guide other students in their journeys.” She hopes to continue to work with international students in the future. She also wants to travel more, hoping to visit both Central America and Morocco. Katie Pegram, our current eNewsworthy editor, will be taking over for Sadie in the upcoming academic year.
We would also like to congratulate the following graduating seniors from our Stateside PAL ambassadors program and the ISA Board: Erin Knaul and Tim and Taylor Wilson.
Congratulations on all of your hard work and success! We will miss you all, and we wish you the best in your future endeavors!
More Student Farewells
We are also sad to say goodbye to J.D. Draughn, our Study Abroad and Exchange (SAE) intern for the 2013 Spring semester. J.D. played a significant part in promoting our SAE programs to students, staff, and faculty members. Every week, he ran a table in the Elliott University Center Commons, encouraging interested passerby to study abroad. J.D. is currently working on his MFA in Ceramics and Sculpture at UNCG. Starting in the fall, he will also be teaching ART 281: Ceramics I as a graduate assistant for the Art Department.
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| J.D. Draughn, Former Study Abroad and Exchange Intern | Valencia Lipscomb, Former Front Desk Coordinator |
Valencia Lipscomb, another of our Front Desk Coordinators, will also be leaving us. A UNCG senior, Valencia is currently earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance. She started working at IPC during the 2012 Spring semester and has loved having the opportunity to work with international students. She has not yet studied abroad, but she is considering participating in a summer program either in South America or Spain. After graduating next May, she hopes to enter a graduate program in Dance Therapy.
Thank you both for all you have done for IPC—we will miss you!
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