This blog is managed by the Study Abroad & Away team at the College of Professional & Global Education (CPGE) at San Jose State University. The goal is to share news and updates, spotlight our study abroad students, alumni, and faculty/staff who support the campus internationalization efforts, and eventually to add student blogs from abroad.
Our Team
COURTNEY ANNE JACKSON: Courtney is a proud Northern Californian. She was born in Oakland and raised in a rural community in the Sierra Nevada Mountains called Quincy, CA. Courtney studied abroad in Rome, Italy her junior year while earning her B.A. in Cultural Memory and the Arts from Whittier College. After graduation, she worked supporting international students in San Francisco before getting her M.A. in International Education Management at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, where she studied abroad in Chile. Courtney spent 6 years working in international education in Washington before joining the SJSU SAA team. Fun Facts: Courtney enjoys competitive swimming, museums, and archaeological sites. She also loves traveling to new places in search of street art and the world’s best mac and cheese.
ERIN KELLY-WEBER: Erin was born and raised in New Jersey but calls Chicago her second home after having studied and worked there for 12 years. Erin studied abroad in Santiago, Chile during her junior year of college and earned a BA in Anthropology and International Studies with a Spanish minor from Northwestern University. Throughout her 10+ years of working in international education, she has supported university and high school students on study abroad programs both in the U.S. and overseas, and has studied or worked in 12 countries. Erin earned a Master of Arts in International Education Management and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) in Monterey. She is passionate about fostering cross-cultural communication and creating accessible and equitable international education opportunities for every student. Fun Facts: Erin is thrilled to continue living her CA adventure at SJSU! In her spare time, she enjoys reading, hiking, practicing yoga, spending time with her two cats and learning about different languages and cultures.
JULIE LUCAS: Julie is a proud Chicago native! She studied abroad in Granada, Spain her junior year of college and earned a B.S. in Psychology and Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After graduation, she moved to Salamanca, Spain where she taught English and worked with students studying abroad in Spain. She then completed her M.A. in International Education Management at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Before moving back to California, she worked with outbound study abroad students at a nonprofit organization in Chicago. Fun Facts: Julie enjoys practicing yoga, dancing salsa, and spending time outdoors. She loves weekend hikes and traveling to new places.
DR. VIDALINO RAATIOR: Vid is a native Pacific Islander from Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). He studied abroad in the US eventually earning a B.A. in communications from the University of Guam, M.A. in school administration from University of San Francisco, and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D) from University of Hawai’i. During his 20-year career in higher education Vid has held a number of roles as International Student Advisor, Assistant Director of Study Abroad, Associate Director of the Center for Multicultural Learning, Director of the Pacific Islander Student Center and a STEM-focused initiative at Santa Clara University, University of Hawaii at Hilo, and University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC). Fun Facts: Vid lives in the Santa Cruz area, loves to watch his kids play volleyball, basketball, football and golf….and when he’s not working he engages in equity-focused initiatives.
DR. PARINAZ ZARTOSHTY: Parinaz is originally from Tehran, Iran and earned her Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in Government/International Relations and her Master’s degree in International Relations from Boston University. She recently completed her doctorate degree in Educational Leadership at SJSU. Parinaz entered the field of international education after having worked for Amnesty International, UNICEF and other smaller nonprofits, both in the US and internationally. She speaks several languages including Farsi, French and German. Parinaz studied abroad in Paris, France and has also worked abroad in the Middle East. Parinaz is passionate about international education, whether it is welcoming students at SJSU, sending SJSU students abroad, facilitating cultural exchange virtually, or empowering faculty to foster those cross-cultural connections.
Fun Facts: Parinaz loves hiking, reading and of course traveling. She loves all international cuisine, but especially Japanese, Mexican and Korean food.
Our Vision
Our vision is to provide study abroad opportunities for all students including traditionally underrepresented students who may not have historically participated in a global experience. CPGE’s role is to make global learning and experiences an integral part of every SJSU student’s college career, through reimagining how we approach experiential and cross-culturally immersive programs that meet the needs of our diverse student population.
For more information, visit: www.sjsu.edu/studyabroad