Renee Griggs
Interim Director
Renee has been with Study Abroad and Student Exchange for many years. Specializing in semester and summer programs, Renee is the principal advisor for programs in Spain. She is also the person you'll want to see for any help with registration, posting of credits, billing questions, or financial aid.
Direct line: (520) 626-7180
E-mail: griggsr@email.arizona.edu
Harmony DeFazio
Interim Assistant Director
Harmony attended the University of Oregon, where she earned her BA in German, with minors in Italian and Linguistics. As an undergraduate, she had the opportunity to study abroad in both Italy and Germany and to travel throughout Western Europe. These experiences were pivotal in shaping her personal and professional goals and she decided to continue her studies at the University of Oregon, this time pursuing a Master of Public Administration with a focus on international education. In graduate school, she returned to Germany to develop a study abroad program for US business students. After completing her studies, she worked as a Study Abroad Advisor at Central Washington University. Harmony joined SASE in May, 2007, where she is currently advising inbound and outbound students for programs in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
Direct Line: 626-6039
E-mail: defazioh@email.arizona.edu
Jill Calderón
Program Director, Latin America
Jill completed her BA at Colorado State University in Creative Writing and her MA in Latin American Studies at the University of Arizona. After graduating with her undergraduate degree, she set out for Costa Rica where she worked at becoming fluent in Spanish while running her own business, Escuela Latina de Lenguas, S.A., a language school teaching English to Costa Ricans offering service learning opportunities and Spanish language instruction. While in Costa Rica, Jill had the opportunity to travel throughout Latin America. She came to Tucson from Costa Rica in 2000 to work at the UA and pursue her Master's degree. For nearly 5 years, she worked as a Project Director for the Office of International Affairs before transitioning to her current position of Program Director, Latin America, for the Office of Study Abroad and Student Exchange. Currently, Jill advises for all of the Latin America programs and assists the Center for Latin American Studies with international initiatives in teaching, research and study programs abroad.
Direct line: (520) 626 4931
E-mail: jcaldero@email.arizona.edu
Kendra Corey
Study Abroad Advisor
Originally from western New York, Kendra attended the University of Richmond in Virginia where she earned her BA in Leadership Studies, with a minor in history. During her junior year at Richmond, she spent a semester studying Maori culture and Australian and New Zealand history at the University of Otago in New Zealand. After graduation, not quite ready for a desk job, she spent six months working and traveling around Australia. Upon her arrival back in the US, she returned to her alma mater, where she most recently worked as the marketing and public relations coordinator for the Robins School of Business.
During 2008-2010, Kendra traveled throughout Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, and South America. She spent most of her time working in Alaska, Antarctica and teaching English in Chile. She is excited to be living in a warm climate after a cold two years! She is currently a master's student in the Higher Education Administration program at the University of Arizona and loves to go hiking, camping and play tennis. Kendra advises inbound and outbound students for programs in Italy and Northern Europe.
Direct line: (520) 626-3427
Email: kcorey@email.arizona.edu
Kristen Michelson
Study Abroad Advisor
Kristen joins Study Abroad and Student Exchange from the Midwest, where she was born and raised and lived most of her life before coming to Tucson. Kristen holds a BA in French from Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH and an MA in French from the University of Minnesota. Following her studies, Kristen moved to Germany where she spent four years living in Cologne teaching English and working for a German television station while learning German. As an undergraduate, Kristen had the opportunity to study for one semester in Nantes, France, and has participated in short-term language immersion programs in Kassel, Germany and Madrid, Spain. Kristen has over ten years experience working in the field of international education and serves as the SASE inbound and outbound advisor for French and German-speaking programs in Europe. In addition to her work in SASE, Kristen is pursuing a doctorate in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching. Kristen is passionate about intercultural exchange, and believes it is a fundamental pathway to understanding, respect, and appreciation between and among all people. She is an avid cyclist, enjoys choral singing, and loves every genre of music that ever existed, making a hobby of collecting local music when traveling to other countries.
For students coming to see Kristen for advising: to best use our time together, please bring a list of your major/minor and general education requirements as well as a knowledge of which courses your department will allow you to take off campus versus which courses you must absolutely complete at the UA. Once you know which courses your department allows you to take off campus, I can help you identify universities and programs which might offer those courses as well as how to get specific course descriptions for overseas universities.
Finally, if you don't have time to see me in person and/or just have a quick question please feel free to contact me via e-mail or phone at any time. Please note that I work on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays and only check e-mail on those days when I am in the office. In general, please allow 48 hours for response to e-mails.
I look forward to getting to know you and working with you on your study abroad plans!
Direct line: (520) 621-9403
E-mail: kmichels@email.arizona.edu
 Stella Rios
Administrative Associate
Stella has been at the University of Arizona since 1991. She joined the staff in 2001 and is responsible for managing the front office and guiding students through the application process. She has worked for the College of Humanities and Emergency Medicine at the UA. To make an appointment with any of our staff, just call Stella!
Direct line: (520) 626-9211
E-mail: srios@email.arizona.edu
Cara Simon
Study Abroad Advisor
Cara's family was the catalyst for her interest in the world of international education. She was fortunate to have parents that encouraged her to travel abroad and gain independence with exploring new and unfamiliar places. Cara received a BA degree in Psychology and Art at SUNY Geneseo in upstate New York. The summer after she graduated, she had the opportunity to travel around Europe, an unforgettable experience. She then pursued a Master's Degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Stony Brook in New York and took some time off after graduating to backpack through Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and Fiji. Currently she pursuing another Master's in Comparative Higher Education, at the University of Arizona. This international experience in particular, was life changing both personally and professionally for her. Cara joined the SASE team in December 2008 and currently advises for inbound and outbound students for the South Pacific and Italy. She is very passionate about her profession and looks forward to sharing this enthusiasm with students interested in studying abroad.
Direct line: (520) 626-9273
E-mail: csimon@email.arizona.edu
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