Welcome, Danika
FIUTS is excited to welcome our new Student Programs Coordinator, Danika Delano!
Danika Delano joined FIUTS last week as our new Student Programs Coordinator and we're so glad to welcome her to Seattle and our office! She'll be working with UW international students to organize programming, train and support facilitators, coordinate Wednesday lunch, and lots more. Here's Danika, introducing herself to the FIUTS community:
It seems that each step I’ve taken on my career path has led me to FIUTS. I began my involvement in international education when I embarked on a Semester at Sea voyage. Through being introduced to 13 diverse countries in one semester, I began to see the benefits of non-formal and experiential learning. This experience sparked my curiosity of ways of life and people different from myself and I began connecting with international students in my community in Fort Collins, Colorado. While I was studying Psychology and Business at Colorado State University (CSU), I became involved in the Fort Collins International Center, CSU's International Student Services Office, and CSU's Intensive English Program, mentoring international students, coordinating events, and advocating for global understanding.
After graduation, I attended a cross-cultural communication conference in the Middle East and then set off to teach English in Japan. Once I learned how to use chopsticks, a year and a half later, I began a journey of a lifetime. I spent 9 months independently backpacking through Eastern Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Mexico, and South America. Upon returning to the United States, I lived out the T.S. Eliot quote, "We shall not cease from exploration, and at the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."
This brought me to pursue my Master of Arts in International Education with a focus on inbound international student support at SIT Graduate Institute, a program of World Learning, in Vermont. I am delighted to become a part of FIUTS to continue my ultimate mission of international peace through positive connections and mutual understanding. I am excited to support the rising leaders at UW and to help them inspire the greater community.
In my free time I enjoy hiking, backpacking, climbing, spending time with encouraging people, and, of course, exploring this beautiful world of ours. I have always been drawn to the quirkiness of Seattle and am glad to call it my new home.
Want to get in touch with Danika? Send her an email here.