Welcome, Kailyn

Kailyn Swarthout joined FIUTS in September as our new Education Programs Coordinator and we’re so glad to welcome her to our team! While Kailyn has been involved with FIUTS for a long time, she's new as a full-time professional staff member. She'll be working on our K-12 Education Programs, Visiting Programs, and more. Here's Kailyn, introducing herself to the FIUTS community:

I was born and raised in Olympia, where Washington State’s urban and rural worlds intersect to form a quirky hub for art, music, civic engagement, and enjoying the natural world. Many of my formative years were spent playing in the mossy green spaces around my neighborhood and fundraising for nonprofits with my high school’s PEACE Club.

My love for adventure began in the outdoors of the Northwest, but quickly grew to a more global scale as I studied International Studies in the Jackson School at the University of Washington. After studying abroad in Prague for a semester, I returned to UW looking for a way to share my home with the international community in Seattle. Thus began my involvement with FIUTS. I volunteered as a facilitator and CulturalFest committee member, interned in the office, and eventually worked as a SUSI program assistant.

Kailyn visiting SUSI program participants in Sri Lanka

After finishing my Bachelor’s degree I spent a school year teaching English at a high school in Marseille, France. The combination of my time with FIUTS, the UW Dream Project, and working through the challenges of moving to a new place and teaching for the first time solidified my commitment to working in the field of experiential education and I decided to pursue an M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction at UW.

The first year of my Master’s program was a graduate residency in Education for Environment and Community at IslandWood on Bainbridge Island. During that year I learned a whole lot about myself, my own connection to the natural world, how to utilize the natural world as a context for quality education, and the power of experiential education to support young people in becoming stewards of their natural and human communities. This thread of environmental and community stewardship has continued through my personal and professional life ever since.

Mossy Kailyn

While my experience in grad school helped me build a stronger connection with the Northwest, I spent my grad school summers learning about a new part of the world by leading high school service learning programs in Northern Thailand. My very welcoming coworkers, inspiring students, and the region’s natural beauty almost kept me there, but I felt drawn to return home and put that level of effort into learning about the diversity of lived experiences in Seattle.

I am very excited to be back at FIUTS in a new role as Education Programs Coordinator. I love to see the meaningful connections made between UW international students and local students of all ages that I hope lead both sides to live with more empathy and curiosity. Stop by the FIUTS office and talk to me about citizen diplomacy, experiential education, outdoor adventures, bike commuting, folk music, or quiz me on student names!.