Dr. Roopa Rawjee
ISS Director and Assistant Dean of Students
608-262-7890
Roopa was born in Mumbai, India and started her career as an English and Social Studies teacher at an all-girls school. She moved to Los Angeles, CA as an international student at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). Her teaching skills and passion for education led to a position working with international students at CSUN and eventually to a career change. She graduated from CSUN and went on to earn her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from California Lutheran University. Roopa’s travels have taken her to Austria, Canada, China, England, Germany, Lebanon, Nepal, Scotland, Switzerland, and the U.A.E. She enjoys cooking, watching legal/murder mysteries, and long walks with her partner Desmond and their rescue dog Zelda. She is passionate about student success and retention, animal rescue, and women and children’s issues.
Tina Hatch
Assistant Director and Advisor
608-262-3468
Tina oversees the BRIDGE and International Reach programs, as well as additional programming initiatives and advising. She believes cross-cultural friendships, like those formed in BRIDGE, can provide a solid foundation for developing critical global competencies and openness to others. Tina has worked at ISS since 2008 and loves advising and supporting students from around the world. Tina has traveled to over 20 countries and has extensive international experience, including living in Norway, studying abroad in France, teaching English in China, working for the International Rescue Committee, volunteering with hill tribe communities in Thailand, and coordinating programming to promote global competence and leadership among international and domestic students in the U.S. Tina speaks French and conversational Norwegian. She has a passion for global women’s issues and has a keen interest in the work of organizations such as the International Rescue Committee, and Women for Women International. Tina also loves spending time with her wife and two kids, visiting family in Utah, camping, hiking, and enjoying good food.
Samantha McCabe
Assistant Director and Advisor
608-265-5113
As Assistant Director for SEVIS Compliance, Sam provides oversight of F and J student/dependent compliance with Federal regulations through the Student & Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) and overall database management of immigration records. She works with campus partners to identify ways in which we can better support academic and support services departments to provide more transparent and holistic services to our international student population. In addition, Sam serves as ISS liaison to the Athletics Department and the undergraduate advising community and coordinates the International Reach cross-cultural speakers’ program. Sam has traveled to many different countries, including South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Peru, Mexico, Honduras, the Bahamas, Canada, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand. She also lived for a time in Spain, Namibia, and Brazil and Sam’s love of travel inspired her academic passions as an undergraduate and graduate student. Sam recently completed her MS in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis with an emphasis in Global Higher Education at UW-Madison. In her spare time, Sam serves on the board of Madison Friends of International Students (MFIS) and the leadership team of the Wisconsin Association of International Educators (WAIE). Outside of her volunteer duties, she enjoys playing indoor and outdoor volleyball, the many summer activities in Madison, and exploring different cultures and countries through food and social exchange.
Tetyana Schneider
Assistant Director
608-262-3466
Tetyana is an Assistant Director and is responsible for Co-Curricular Education, Communications, and the Student Advisement Center. She is interested in improving international students’ learning experiences and has been enhancing her teaching skills by applying active learning approaches and using technology in the classroom while teaching a first-year seminar to international students (CP 125). She is originally from Ukraine and she would love to explore all 50 states in the U.S. and visit all 5 continents. So far, she has travelled to Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Poland, Russia, Romania, Slovakia, and St. Vincent and explored 42 states in the U.S. She speaks Russian and Ukrainian and some German.
Sabrine Ali
BRIDGE Coordinator and Documentation Services Coordinator
608-890-4813
Sabrine is part Palestinian and part Panamanian. She grew up in Jordan and Panama for a few years before returning to the U.S. In keeping theme with her role as a BRIDGE Coordinator, she feels her life has been a constant “bridging” of cultures and identities, and feels very fortunate for the experiences she has had. She is passionate about creating welcoming and safe communities for domestic students and international students to engage in cross-cultural friendships. Sabrine loves her parrots (Susu and Leo) and cat (Zeya). She greatly enjoys spending time with her friends and family, cooking, playing board games, and of course, traveling. Her dream is to continue to visit the friends she has made around the world, and share the stories from her adventures.
Jacquie Bormett
University Service Associate
608-262-6883
Jacquie helps make sure that student addresses, majors, and other information is kept accurate and up-to-date in SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System). She also helps to process requests from students for new I-20 documents.
Xin Cui-Dowling
International Student Advisor
608-262-1409
Xin serves as an International Student Advisor at International Student Services. In this role, she meets with international students and helps them navigate their studies and life in the U.S. Xin was an F-1 student and earned her Master’s in Global Higher Education at UW-Madison. After traveling and working in Chicago, Beijing, and Washington DC, she came back to serve international students at her alma mater, the very place where she was inspired. Her diverse personal and professional background has greatly contributed to her interest in the field of international education. She is passionate about maximizing international students’ experience from their daily life to career development. Xin loves trying new cuisine from all over the world.
Caity Dawson
International Student Advisor
608-265-4523
Caity Dawson earned a master’s degree in French Studies through the Professional French Masters Program here at UW-Madison. She enjoys working with international students and supporting them in their success at UW-Madison and beyond. Caity has lived and worked in France and Montreal, Quebec, and loves speaking French. Her travels have taken her to several US national parks such as Yellowstone, the Badlands, Arches, the Canyonlands, and Great Sand Dunes National Park. She likes camping with her husband, running, reading, spending time outside, drinking tea and eating good food. She is originally from West Virginia.
Colleen Hutchinson
International Student Advisor
608-262-2721
Originally from upstate New York, Colleen’s travels have taken her to Canada, Mozambique, Brazil, Jamaica, The Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Iceland, the UK, Hungary, France, Germany, and Ireland – where she completed her master’s degree. Her hobbies include reading, traveling, and baking, and she is passionate about environmental preservation, education, and women’s rights.
Cameron Millard
Information Systems Network Support Technician Senior
608-265-2511
Cameron oversees International Student Services’ data management and information technology systems, including interface with SIS (Student Information System), ISSM (International Student and Scholar Management), and SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System).
Melissa Murray
International Student Advisor
608-262-2044
Melissa serves as an International Student Advisor and International Reach Program Coordinator. Originally from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, her travels have taken her to Canada, Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Ukraine, China, Hong Kong, Mexico, and the UK. She completed both her bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Prior to joining the ISS team, she served as the International Student Advisor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Melissa loves getting to know international students and connecting them to opportunities to build their confidence and skills both in and out of the classroom. In her free time, she enjoys all things food related, especially if it involves spending time with friends and family or getting to know new people.
Zach Nelson-Houstin
Program Coordinator
608-262-9716
Zach works to provide Global Badgers with out-of-classroom learning experiences, professional development programs, opportunities to engage with U.S. culture and transition to life in Madison, and events to connect with fellow UW-Madison students from the U.S. and beyond. Zach also coordinates ISS communications, oversees the Global Badger Experience Grant for student organizations, and serves as the advisor to WISA (Wisconsin International Students Association). Originally from Dane County, it was the Global Higher Education master’s program at UW-Madison that brought him back in 2014. Zach speaks German and conversational French, and lived in Germany for 2.5 years where he spent a year working to support international students at the Hochschule Reutlingen. His travels have taken him to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Morocco, Macedonia, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, and much of Western Europe. Zach serves on the board of Madison Friends of International Students (MFIS) and enjoys traveling, playing hockey, biking, and kayaking.
Erik Salminen
International Student Advisor
608-265-3426
Erik Salminen was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and has also lived in Jordan, Belgium, Indonesia, the UAE, and mainland China. In total, he has been to 34 countries and lived abroad for 22 years. Erik is proficient in Mandarin Chinese and some basic Japanese.
Kao Yong Thao
International Student Advisor
Kao Yong (pronounced Gao Zhong) Thao serves as an international student advisor and orientation coordinator at ISS. Kao Yong graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor’s in English and Gender & Women’s Studies. She then went on to pursue her master’s degree in Higher Education from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Prior to joining the ISS team, Kao Yong was an academic advisor at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and an AmeriCorps VISTA for the WI Department of Public Instruction. Originally born in Thailand, Kao Yong came to the United States with her family as refugees and has lived in Manitowoc, Wisconsin most of her life. She is passionate about promoting educational equity and creating spaces where students can be their whole selves. When Kao Yong is not working, she enjoys watching movies, cooking, trying new food, and spending time with family.