Global Engagement Team

As Director of the Global Engagement Office, I seek to provide students with opportunities to participate in compelling off-campus study experiences that are academically challenging, professionally relevant, and personally engaging. I also assist Wooster faculty members with designing and implementing our faculty-led (TREK) programs.

I have worked in international education for almost 30 years, first as an international student advisor, then in study abroad, and eventually serving as a Senior International Officer. Having earned my undergraduate degree in psychology at a liberal arts college (Colorado College), I enjoy working with Wooster students anxious to gain an understanding of the beliefs and perspectives held by others and acquire cross-cultural competencies. I lived and worked in Japan for three years and hold an M.A. in Asian Studies from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.

I am passionate about my work because of how travel and working with people from around the world has transformed me. I love it when students tell me that their off-campus experience was a highlight of their time at The College of Wooster!

In my spare time I enjoy riding my bike, growing flowers, trying to knit, and learning to golf. My two wonderful sons live in the Pacific Northwest, and I visit them as often as possible.

Strengths: Positivity, Strategic, Learner, Activator, Achiever

As the Pathways Program Coordinator, I get the privilege of meeting with students who are interested in exploring different ideas they have for their career. I’m an idea person, so I love hearing what students are interested in and helping them come up with possible ways to explore those interests. I also work to manage Pathways records with the Registrar’s Office and connect students with the faculty & staff on the Pathways teams.

In my role as the Peace Corps Prep Coordinator, I help students navigate the requirements of the program and discover ways to become involved with the Peace Corps if desired. Because the Global Impacts Pathway is closely aligned with Peace Corps Prep, I can offer a deeper level of assistance to that Pathway.

I love the way APEX offers students the chance to take what they’re learning in their classes and apply it to hands-on, practical experiences that prepare them for the professional world. I’m so grateful for the chance to be part of this work.

I come to the College of Wooster after 20 years in secondary education, focusing primarily on project-based learning and other experiential pedagogy, as well as students’ personal and professional communication skills. Taking my passion for experiential education and project-based learning into higher education through my work in APEX has been an exciting new direction in my career journey.

My BA is in Secondary Education (English and Psychology) from Cornerstone University. I have an MA in Teaching and Learning, Curriculum and Instruction from Nova Southeastern University and a Graduate Certificate in Outdoor Ministry and Leadership from Wheaton College.

After growing up in western Michigan and living in most of the Great Lakes states, as well as studying in Israel and teaching in Taiwan, I now live with my husband and three children here in Wooster.  I enjoy outdoor activities such as camping, ice skating, and hiking, as well as travel, reading, laughing, and having intriguing conversations.

Strengths: Connectedness, Belief, Learner, Restorative, Ideation

Chris Lee (he/him) is a senior double major in GIS Economics and Computer Science. Hailing from San Francisco, his passion for volleyball and staring at excel sheets has led him far and wide. He studied European Security and the History of Central/Eastern Europe at NYU Prague in Fall 2022. Ask him about studying under the Czech Minister of Energy Security, leading an agile development team in a different time zone, or getting stranded in Turkey!

Case Baumwart (he/him) is a senior Urban Sustainability major with a minor in Spanish from Rochester, NY. He studied abroad in Valparaíso, Chile, as well as serving as assistant director for the Documentary Filmmaking Trek in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Case is also a Teacher’s Assistant for the College’s Art Department. Ask him about getting stuck on an island in Patagonia or building sustainable park dwellings for Chilean Architects!

Saya Azhdarova (she/her) is a junior international student majoring in Global Media & Digital Studies with a minor in Statistical & Data Sciences. Originally from Kazakhstan, a country in Central Asia, Saya has also studied abroad in Milan, Italy, where she focused on fashion and media. While in Milan, she worked backstage at Fashion Week with artists and models. She has also done photoshoots for fashion styling and learned about managing luxury companies. Ask her about the behind-the-scenes world of fashion shows, the art of luxury brand management or what it’s like to study media in Milan!