Global Engagement and Education Abroad (GEEA)

Robbie Grasinski

School: 
College of Engineering
Major: 
Computer Science
Class Level: 
Undergraduate
Email: 
ic-abroad@umich.edu

Robbie is an undergraduate student studying Computer Science at the College of Engineering from Dearborn, Michigan. In the summer of 2022, he had the opportunity to study abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. While there, he took entrepreneurship classes and interned at a local Danish automation startup called Tatesoft. 

Outside of school, Robbie is the Public Relations Officer for Wolverine Security, the campus Computer Security club. He also enjoys going to campus sporting events, especially football games, and likes to try new restaurants in and around Ann Arbor with friends.

Daxuan Qi

School: 
School of Education
Major: 
Higher Education
Class Level: 
Masters
Email: 
daxuan@umich.edu

Daxuan is an International Student from China, and he is pursuing his Master's degree in Higher Education at the School of Education. Majoring in Arabic Language and Literature as an undergraduate, he had the chance to become an Arabic translator in the Middle East. However, he changed his mind and decided to intern as a teacher assistant at a language study institution to find out whether or not he has a passion for teaching. Fortunately, his feeling of achievement from his student's smiling face motivated him to go forward! He also did research about the relationship between socioeconomic status and academic success, which he shared at the 8th International Conference on Humanities and Social Science Research in 2022.  During his leisure time, Daxuan enjoys music and film, and he is good at cooking Chinese food! And his biggest dream is to travel around the world.

Amanda Picariello

School: 
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA)
Major: 
Organizational Studies
Class Level: 
Undergraduate
Email: 
ic-abroad@umich.edu

Amanda is an undergraduate junior pursuing a degree in Organizational Studies with minors in Environmental Science and Entrepreneurship. She is from Southern California and moved to Michigan for university.

Outside of school, Amanda is active as a Student Leader for the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Opportunity Hub and Business and Media Leads for Michigan Robotic Submarine. Amanda also spends her time on the Michigan Daily’s Culture, Training, and Inclusion Section.

Samantha Antoine

Samantha Antoine joins the International Center’s Global Engagement and Education Abroad team from Northwood Graduate and Family Housing at U of M where she worked for three years implementing programs and supporting the largely international population.

Job Title: 
Program Manager

Shannon Lynn Carter

School: 
School of Social Work
Major: 
Clinical Social Work
Class Level: 
Masters
Email: 
peacecorpsprep@umich.edu

Shannon Lynn Carter served in the Peace Corps in central Ukraine for 31 months. As a youth development volunteer, she obtained hands-on experience in grassroot sustainable community project development and successfully earned 3 USAID grants focused on the New Ukrainian School decentralization nation-wide reforms. During her time as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV), Shannon helped with bringing back the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Program to Ukraine and arranged for a unique Rotary - Peace Corps collaboration to organize and co-host the 2019 RYLA Ukraine International Conference, which she had the honor of co-chairing with the Rotary District 2232 Governor.

Apart from her role as the Peace Corps Prep Advisor, she also serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the University of Michigan School of Nursing, and a clinical intern at the office of Counseling and Psychological services (CAPSs). Shannon is pursuing her second (advanced standing) Master’s degree in clinical social work at the University of Michigan. Additionally, She recently finished her first master's degree in Project Management and Development at the University of Bradford International Peace and Development Center in England as a Rotary Peace Fellow.

Haley Neuenfeldt

School: 
School for the Environment and Sustainability, Ford School of Public Policy
Major: 
Environmental Policy, Public Policy
Class Level: 
Masters
Email: 
peace.corps@umich.edu

Peace Corps Recruiter: Haley Neuenfeldt (she/her) served as a rural education development volunteer in Njenga, a small community in the Northwest Province of Zambia from 2019-2020. As a volunteer, Haley’s primary role was teaching English language classes at the local secondary school. When she wasn’t teaching, she enjoyed cooking Nshima with her host mom, picking mangos with her host sisters, and reading and spending time with her two cats. She graduated in 2019 from the University of Richmond where she studied Global Studies with a focus on Latin America and Geography. She is currently a second-year graduate student at the School for the Environment and Sustainability and the Ford School of Public Policy where she is pursuing an MS in Environmental Policy and a Master of Public Policy. Outside of school, she enjoys cooking, yoga, and spending time by the river.

Hannah Collins

School: 
School of Social Work
Major: 
Social Work
Class Level: 
Masters
Email: 
peace.corps@umich.edu

Peace Corps Recruiter: Hannah Collins (she/her) served as a Secondary Education English Teacher Trainer in Colombia. She taught English with Colombian Co-Teachers from grades 6-11 while working on secondary projects with Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) Colombia, a girls empowerment organization, and on the Gender Equity Committee for Peace Corps Colombia. For the past 2 years she has been serving as a College Adviser at Kearsley High School in Flint, Michigan through MSUCAC and AmeriCorps. Currently, she is a Master of Social Work student at the University of Michigan. In her free time, she loves reading, reading over 50 books a year, and hiking, mostly day hikes.

Tiara Amadia

School: 
School of Information, Literature Science & the Arts
Major: 
Information Sciences, Economics
Class Level: 
Undergraduate

Tiara is a senior pursuing a dual degree in LSA Economics and UMSI Information Analysis. She comes from Jakarta, Indonesia, and is the first in her family to go to school in the United States so it was definitely a change when she chose to live in the Midwest.

Outside of campus, she is active as the President of Propel Business Club, a social impact organization, Vice President of Client Acquisitions in Capital Consulting Group, a pro-bono consulting organization, and a member of Phi Gamma Nu, a business fraternity. She loves AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) cuisine, frequently searching the Ann Arbor food scene for dishes that she can call home.

Shaylyn MacKinnon

School: 
Gerald R. Ford School, The School of Social Work
Major: 
Social Policy, Global Social Work Practice
Class Level: 
Masters
Email: 
ic-abroad@umich.edu

Shaylyn MacKinnon is a dual Master of Public Policy and Master of Social Work student at the University of Michigan. After graduating with a B.A. in International Relations, English Literature, and Spanish Language & Culture, Shaylyn joined the U.S. Peace Corps as an Education Volunteer in Rwanda. When COVID-19 resulted in a global pause on Peace Corps operations, Shaylyn continued developing her intercultural skills as an AmeriCorps volunteer working with ELL students in her home city of Portland, ME. Shaylyn hopes to combine her passion for direct service with her interest in macro-level policy research in order to help ease the legal, cultural, and social integration process of refugee resettlement within Maine. In her free time, Shaylyn enjoys keeping up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and finding the best ice cream spots in Ann Arbor.

Vania Tally

School: 
Ross School of Business, School for Environment and Sustainability
Class Level: 
Masters
Email: 
peacecorpsprep@umich.edu

Vania is a dual-degree student in the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) and Ross School of Business. After completing her BA in Sociology and Religious Studies at Tulane University in New Orleans, Vania joined the Peace Corps in Paraguay where she served as a Community Health Promoter. Vania lived in a rural town and taught basic health and leadership skills in both Spanish and Guarani, the indigenous language. She enjoyed her time so much, she extended her service another year to support other volunteers as a Regional Volunteer Coordinator. Before returning for her Masters at UM, Vania worked for over three years at international medical non-profit Operation Smile, running medical missions and building global surgical strategy all over the world. Originally from North Carolina, she was concerned about Michigan winters, but has decided the amazing people make it worth it!

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