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U-M Student Peer Advisors, Winter 2012

Our peer advisors are U-M students who have studied or worked abroad and have extensive overseas travel experience. The Peer Advisors are trained to help you both become aware of the range of education-abroad opportunities available and think through which ones might be best for you. They are trained and supervised by the office's professional staff. They are available to assist only students, faculty, staff, and alumni affiliated with the University of Michigan. Our peer advisors are located within the U-M International Center, and are available through email, by appointment, or by advising hours throughout the academic year.

The Education Abroad Office has walk-in advising Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm, however we recommend setting up an appointment by email if you'd like to speak with a specific peer advisor.

Christopher Crachiola is a senior in the Ford School of Public Policy. During his sophomore year he lived in Germany through the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) scholarship where he attended Georg August Universität, Göttingen, and also interned with die Grünen and FDP political parties. Christopher also has been to Japan and Korea to study and volunteer through official undergraduate academic programs in addition to working and volunteering for Youth For Understanding USA through which he has had study abroad experiences in Japan and Finland.  Chris is also a 2011-2012 DAAD Young Ambassador and is here to answer your questions about opportunities to study and research in Germany!

Emily DeMeo graduated from James Madison University with a degree in Medical Anthropology. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree at the School of Public Health, specifically in Health Behavior/Health Education and Global Health. During her time at  JMU, she spent a summer working with an organization that provides medical clinics for Tibetan refugees in Northern India and led an Alternative Spring Break trip to Dominica.  She recently returned from spending 8 months conducting research on HIV and AIDS in Belize. Both studying and working abroad have truly enriched her life and changed the way that she views the world. Some other adventures she’s embarked upon include seeing moose in Canada, walking up the steps of the Eiffel Tower in France, learning about her heritage in Italy, hiking through Tikal National Park in Guatemala, and cage diving with great white sharks in South Africa.

Christie Donahue graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Biomedical Engineering and an International Minor.  She is now pursuing a Master's degree at the School of Social Work where she is a Global Activities Scholar studying community organizing. Her unconventional jump from engineering to social work resulted from her work developing and leading service trips to the Dominican Republic and Guatemala with the University of Michigan student organization, Sa Nima Collaborative. She also organized an internship with Sa Nima's Guatemalan partner, the CasaSito Association, for 6 months with support from the Ginsberg Center and the Center for International and Comparative Studies.  She was a member of the first Michigan International Internship and Service Program cohort while preparing for her trip to Guatemala. She also helps coordinate the International Project Collaborative which aims to help internationally focused student orgs navigate University resources and implement ethical and effective programs abroad.  She's also toured Machu Picchu, swam in the Amazon River, and hiked part of the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

Maura Niemisto is a Junior in Program in the Environment with a concentration on Environmental Justice Issues and a minor in International Studies. She spent Fall of 2011 studying abroad in Costa Rica and Nicaragua learning about social justice, sustainable community development and Latin American culture. She also organized and carried out her own research project on vertebrate pests in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica. She has also traveled and explored Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Canada. She speaks Spanish and basic Portuguese.

Celine Smith is currently a Junior majoring in International Studies and Anthropology with a minor in the Program in the Environment. Never having traveled before college, Celine knew she wanted to begin her international experiences right away. Summer following freshman year she went with the University of Michigan's GIEU program to Zambia for a month to do research and help with workshops on HIV/AIDS in the religious community. After this experience she decided the next step would be to study abroad for a semester, so she chose Buenos Aires, Argentina for Winter semester of her sophomore year. Here she worked on her Spanish while taking classes with other American students and locals; during this time she also traveled independently throughout the country. Now she is looking forward to the opportunity of helping to guide others to great international experiences!

Janie Velencia is a junior Majoring in Political Science and International Studies with a minor in Community Action and Social Change. During the summer of her sophomore year she worked on a research project comparing Early Childhood Education between the US and China at Beijing Normal University in China through GIEU (Global and Intercultural Education for Undergraduate Students). Recently, she studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain with CGIS (Center for Global and Intercultural Studies) and she has also lived and studied abroad in Albania.

In addition to these advisors, the Education Abroad office has an extensive listing of volunteer peer advisors who have had a variety of study and work abroad experiences.  To find out whether we can match you with someone who has had an experience similar to the one you’re looking for, send an email to ic-abroad@umich.edu or call 734.647.2299.

Become a Peer Advisor

If you've had an international experience and would like to share your expertise and familiarity with studying, working, or travelling abroad, we need you! Our peer advisors not only advise students, but also design and present workshops and seminars on education abroad.

For more information about peer advisors, contact ic-abroad@umich.edu or call 734.647.2299.


Last reviewed: 01/12