Introduction: Melanie, Assistant Professor at Penn State University

One of the hats that I wear in my current position is "Coordinator for Programs in Latin America."  No wonder I receive so many puzzled looks when I tell people that I'm traveling to Korea with a class this summer!

It is my great pleasure to take part in this experience.  One of the best parts of my job is witnessing students' global learning.  It's so much work to organize student travel yet so rewarding to see how it changes people's lives. 

Korea is brand new territory for me.   Call me a geek, but I really enjoy doing the "literature review" on a country - learning about the history, culture and language through books, movies, social media and any other type of media that you can think of. 

Years of experience have taught me that an international trip is much more enjoyable when you have more knowledge about where you are.  So on any given morning you can catch me making hot tea and jamming out to an online K-pop station, or watching a new KWOW video while I eat lunch.

When I'm not geeking out on international travel, I enjoy sewing and quilting, reading, gardening and my dog, Shiner.