Students Session II
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Kim Alba is originally from Guam, a U.S. territory in the Western Pacific, and is moving to the Washington, D.C., area after the Cagli program. She completed her undergraduate studies with a B.A. Classical degree in English from Gonzaga University in 1999. A former teacher and a journalist, Kim will be finishing Gonzaga’s master’s program in communication and leadership studies during the 2012-13 school year. |
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Jael Cooper is a native of Fredericksburg,Va. In 2011, she received her bachelor’s degree in English from Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Va. Following her graduation, Jael began pursuing her master’s in Communication and Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University. Though she currently works as a Community Relations Associate for The Colonnades in Charlottesville, Va, Jael plans to leave the business sector to earn her doctorate in Communication. Read The Nuns of Cagli >> |
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Tracy Ging is the Director of Sustainability for one of the largest coffee roasters in the United States. She is responsible for sustainable supply chain development, energy and waste reduction, and philanthropic investment. She expects to finish her master’s degree in Communication and Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University in December 2012. She has also earned a bachelor of science in Business from Indiana University and completed executive education in strategic marketing at Stanford University. Tracy currently lives in Los Angeles, but is in the process of moving to Charlotte, N.C., with her husband, Brian, and their dog, Franklin. |
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Jessica Guiton is a former graduate of Loyola University-Maryland where she received her bachelor’s degree in communication with a specialization in Advertising and Public Relations. Now a Gonzaga University graduate student, Jessica is working toward her master’s in Communication and Leadership. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland, and works as an account executive at an advertising and marketing firm where she handles two of the firm’s higher education clients. When not working or studying, she enjoys taking dance classes, knitting and spending time with her family. |
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Heather Hafer Cole lives and works in Indianapolis, Indiana, with her husband Mike and children Isabella and Jackson. Her bachelor’s degree is in English from Ball State University; she is currently pursuing a master’s of arts degree through Gonzaga University’s Communication and Leadership program. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a doctorate so she can teach Intercultural Communication at the collegiate level. With a passion for hearing people's stories, writing, traveling, painting, photography and exploration, Heather has embraced her time in Italy. |
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Christopher Lopez is a current resident and native of the San Francisco Bay Area. He completed a Bachelors of Science in Marketing and Corporate Management prior to enlisting in the Gonzaga in Cagli Project. He has a passion for travel, adventure, but most of all meeting new people. He says his time in Cagli has been one of the most tranformative experiences of his life and he hopes to return sometime in the future. |
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Chris Roark. Originally from Louisiana, Chris has lived in Texas, Colorado, and Washington State. Now living in Bloomington, IL, Chris has worked for the same fortune 50 company for more than 26 years. Over the last 10 years, Chris’ primary focus has been with the business education, training, and development disciplines. Chris, his wife, and two beautiful daughters love traveling, or simply spending quality time together. The older of the two girls will be beginning her freshman year at Gonzaga in the fall. Chris found his experience in Cagli to be enlightening and culturally rewarding. He found the Cagliese people to be extraordinarily warm, welcoming, and always patient and eager to help with Italian language and cultural learning opportunities. |
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Molly Rupert teaches journalism and introductory communication classes at Simpson University in Redding, California. She is also the faculty adviser for the school’s newspaper, The Slate. A Redding native, Rupert spent more than 20 years working and freelancing for the daily newspaper there, The Record Searchlight. Currently, Rupert is enrolled as a graduate student at Gonzaga University in a quest to earn her master’s degree in Communication and Leadership Studies from the prestigious institution. The most incredible part of that process has been the study abroad program called Gonzaga in Cagli, Italy. “Learning the language has been a challenge,” Rupert said. “But I can’t wait to share the experience and all I’ve learned with my husband, daughters and students. It’s been incredible.” Her graduation from Gonzaga is scheduled for December 2013. |
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Lori Shannon, a Southern California native, began taking photographs of her friends racing their BMX bikes in high school. In 2001, Lori graduated from Brooks Institute of Photography with double majors in Advertising and Digital Imaging. Lori was the Web Coordinator for lakings.com for the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons. In addition to providing photography for the Official Website of the Los Angeles Kings Hockey Club, she wrote original content, edited all content posted for quality and consistency, and sent weekly e-newsletters. |
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Karen Skoog teaches Spanish and Leadership at Eastside Catholic School in Sammamish, Wash., and coordinates student activities. She is the third person in her family to earn a degree from Gonzaga University. Her son, Erik (BA 2010) and her daughter Dana (BA 2007; MA 2010) graduated from GU. During the summer, Karen works for the Washington Association of Secondary School Principals as a counselor and director for two leadership camps, one conducted in English and one conducted bilingually in Spanish and English. She recently completed the Gonzaga Project in Cagli as part of her master’s degree in Organizational Leadership. Grazie a tutti i cagliesi per le due belle settimane che ho passato nelle Marche. |
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Shelley Svedahl is originally from the hamlet of Pangman, Saskatchewan, and currently resides in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada with her husband Georg and her two sons. She has a Recreation Technology Diploma as well as an undergraduate degree in Arts (Mention Bilingue). She will finish Gonzaga's communication master’s program in December 2013. Shelley is currently the Manager of Communications & Government Relations for the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses’ Association. She also develops distance-training and educational programs through her own consulting company. Shelley believes the Cagli experience has facilitated both self-awareness and awareness of a new culture. This increased understanding will help Shelley achieve her goal of becoming a global citizen. |
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Jill Tellez currently resides in Chicago, Ill., where she is a full-time student pursuing her master of arts degree at Gonzaga University in Organizational Leadership. She obtained her bachelor of science in Business Management from Western Governors University. She holds the insurance designation of ARM – Associate in Risk Management. Jill has 32 years of experience in the field of property and casualty insurance having held various leadership positions at both insurance companies and brokers. She is a subject matter expert in CyberRisk, specializing in Network Security and Data Privacy. In addition to her work as an expert witness, she has had the distinguished honor to serve on the White House Task Force in 2002 under President Bush in securing the Critical Infrastructure from Cyber Terrorism. Her most recent role was Vice President/Managing Director – Middle Market for The Hartford. In addition to pursuing a higher degree, Jill enjoys traveling and is a life-long student of the world. |
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Christy Ward lives in Portland, Oregon with her teenage son and three dogs. She currently holds a bachelor’s degree in Health Care Administration that she received from Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa and she is currently completing her master’s degree in Communication and Organizational Leadership at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash. Christy has spent the last 18 years working in healthcare in a variety of roles including nursing and administration. She currently works for Oregon Health & Science University as a medical clinic manager in a primary care practice. The time spent in Cagli has provided Christy with the opportunity to reflect upon the pace and priorities in her own life. She has greatly appreciated the kindness and warmth of the people that she has met in Cagli and has a renewed energy to try to bring many of the things she’s experienced, including the food, back home to share with family and friends. |
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Libby Weber is currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in Communication and Leadership program with Gonzaga University, expected graduation in 2013. Although living in Virginia Beach, Va., Libby is the operational partner of The Waterfront Restaurant and Tavern in La Crosse, Wisc. – part of the D Weber Restaurant, LLC organization. She enjoys serving many nonprofit organizations and is a member of the board of directors for the Family and Children’s Center (La Crosse) and the Weber Family Foundation (La Crosse), as well as a committee and service member for Downtown Main Street, Inc. (La Crosse). Libby has a bachelor of science degree in marketing from the University of Wisconsin--La Crosse and a MBA from Viterbo University. She is proud to represent Gonzaga in the Cagli, Italy, program, which satisfies her passion for travel and exploration. |
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Darlene Wilson is from Lacombe, Alberta, Canada. She received her BEd from the University of Alberta and is half way through her master’s degree in Communication and Leadership from Gonzaga University. Darlene teaches business communication classes at Red Deer College and the Donald School of Business in Red Deer, Alberta. She looks forward to using her communication skills as one of the Board of Directors for the Central Alberta United Way. Happy times for Darlene include sharing activities such as travel, music, food and sports with family and friends. The Cagli project and the MACL program have undeniably provided a new lens for viewing the world and the opportunity to share what she learns with others. Mille grazie! |
