As part of the West Virginia University 2020 Strategic Plan, a restructuring and re-branding occurred to better promote internationalization on campus. This exhilarating change advances international goals on campus while providing additional resources to students and faculty participating in these activities. Education Abroad was adopted to replace Study Abroad to show the benefit of activities outside of the classroom. I believe that students gain just as much by engaging with local communities and businesses as they can in a traditional classroom setting. As Education Abroad Director, I will continue to promote these opportunities for students and will integrate this perspective into the new Education Abroad Mission Statement and Strategic Plan.

My role was further expanded in 2016 as I took on the responsibility of all study abroad opportunities at West Virginia University. This included all faculty-led programming, the WVU Exchange Program, and all third party provider affiliations. As Study Abroad Coordinator, I successfully implemented the university-wide International Internship program which assists students will internship placement and provides WVU credit for their professional field experience. I have also continued to work towards increased student participation in study abroad per our Generation Study Abroad commitment.

As I became more intimate with ongoing faculty-led programs, my role expanded into new program development and increased administrative responsibilities. I was promoted to faculty-led program coordinator after 2 years. In this new role, I assisted faculty with the development of new programs, increased spring break participation by 20%, and streamlined the student application process with the implementation of the Terra Dotta software system.

Shortly after completion of my Bachelor's in Science in Business Administration in Accounting, I was given the opportunity to use both my degree and travel experience to assist students and faculty with faculty-led programs at West Virginia University. I was passionate about entering this career, as I wanted other students to participate in experiences, which I had failed to incorporate in my college path. Throughout this position, I learned the basics of short-term education abroad program development and implementation through the lens of budgeting, payments, and accounting.

Assisted parents, students, and third parties with billing, payment, and loanproblems and questions.● Analyzed accounts, answered inquiries, and recommended payment options.● Performed revenue and receivable functions by processing payments to thestudent information system.● Completed closing duties including cash drawer reconciliation and dailydeposits.