MEET THE STAFF

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. In her spare time, Sam serves on 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.

Sharece Bunn is originally from the state of Oregon where she learned to love hiking, visiting the coast, and learning about different cultures and people. She claims her love of travel and adventure was amplified after spending three years with Peace Corps in Ukraine. She holds an M.S. in Journalism from the University of Oregon and an Ed.M. in College Student Services Administration from Oregon State University. Sharece has served as a Board Member for Oregon Women in Higher Education and as the Advocacy Representative on the NAFSA Region I Leadership Team. Currently, she is part of NAFSA’s Trainer Corps. Sharece is passionate about advocacy for international students and loves working on improving the international student experience here in the United States. In her spare time, Sharece likes to go on adventures around the globe to see new places, try new food, take cool pictures, and meet interesting people.

Morgan grew up in Mariposa (Spanish for “butterfly”), a small town in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains near beautiful Yosemite National Park. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon where he studied International Affairs and Communications and spent a semester abroad studying Italian and fine arts in Siena, Italy. His other international experiences include a Peace Corps service in Ecuador and an eight-year career teaching English as a foreign language in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, his first five years with the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. After returning from Japan, Morgan attended Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) in Monterey, California where he completed a Master’s degree in International Education Management. Prior to coming to UW-Madison, he worked in International Student and Scholar Services offices at UC Santa Cruz in California and Clemson University in South Carolina. Professionally, his passion is supporting international students and creating meaningful opportunities for intercultural engagement and learning. Unprofessionally, his passion is playing and watching soccer, or what most of the world logically calls “football.” Morgan’s wife is Japanese and together they are trying to raise their two daughters bilingually and multiculturally. 日本の方や日本語のできる方、ぜひISSまで私に会いに来てくださいね!

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 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.

Dong serves as the International Student Services Assistant. Born and raised in Wenzhou, China, she completed her master’s degree in Global Higher Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dong has studied in China, Australia, Russia, and the U.S., and she speaks Mandarin Chinese, English, and some basic Russian. Outside of her study experiences, her travels have also taken her to Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, and Vietnam. For Dong, home is where people feel safe, welcome, and supported. She is passionate about supporting international students to achieve their developmental goals and feel at home at UW-Madison. In her spare time, Dong enjoys spending time with friends and family, swimming, reading, trying new food, and traveling.

Kathleen serves as the Program Coordinator for ISS. Originally from Lawrence, Kansas she got her first international experience living with a host family in Eutin, Germany as a high school student. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English & German from Emporia State University in Kansas and a master’s degree in College Student Personnel Services from Arkansas State University. Since then she has enjoyed exploring the country by living and working in five states before settling in Madison. She loves helping students engage on-campus and taking the skills they learn in the classroom into the community and beyond. Her hobbies include hiking with her dog, baking, and watching college basketball.

Mina was born and raised in Wisconsin. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh with a Bachelors in International Studies. It was at UW Oshkosh where she developed her passion for international education and coordination for international programs. During her college career, Mina was interested in learning a second language, and studied Mandarin Chinese for 3 years. She also traveled to China to take part in the intensive Mandarin Chinese Language program for 6 months. From China she was able to travel to Thailand and South Korea. Mina currently serves as the International Student Services Assistant at the ISS Office.

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 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 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.

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.

Preamtip serves as an International Student Advisor. Born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, she graduated from Bangkok University with a degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management. She interned in Australia before working as duty manager for a large Bangkok hotel, but changed careers when she found a position in the travel division at the U.S. Embassy. When she moved to Madison she found work at Wisconsin ESL Institute and discovered she enjoyed working with students. She loves to travel and has been to more than 35 countries, with Italy, Namibia, Turkey, and Finland being among her favorites. She loves noodles of all kinds, from ramen to rigatoni, and sen mee to soba. Her hobbies include photography, hiking, reading, and cooking.

She takes great joy in helping students and making them feel welcome in Madison.

Originally from Ashland, Wisconsin, Stacy completed her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and her master’s degree in International Education from the School for International Training (SIT) Graduate Institute in Vermont. Stacy’s travels have taken her to the United Kingdom, Morocco, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Spain. Prior to joining the ISS team, Stacy served as the Intensive English Program Assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and worked on the Fulbright team at AMIDEAST. She enjoys serving as a resource for students and helping them feel welcome at UW-Madison.