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Our Onsite Directors - Meet the Team! Our onsite directors our bilingual and bicultural and also have assistant directors for help during excursions and cultural activities. Our directors are usually host-country nationals with cross-cultural experience. All directors have experience working with groups and have international experience (travel and work) and have studied abroad themselves as students. |
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Adriana Di Napoli Adriana was born in the "Paris of South America", the beautiful Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. Growing up in this very European metropolis allowed her to appreciate the incessant and intense cultural energy the city has to offer. She attended the University of Buenos Aires and unlike many Argentines, Adriana learned English from an early age and is fond of English Literature. As is common in Argentina, her large family are descendants of Italian immigrants and still maintain many customs, cultural values, and even the language. After completing her university degree, she taught psychology, anthropolgy, and theater performance. Her husband, Pablo, is a specialist in Argentine & Latin American Literature. They worked as visiting professors for 3 years at Wesleyan University in Connecticut where their daughter, María, was born. Adriana taught Spanish at the Independent Day School in Middlefield and theater performance at Oddfellows Theater. She has also taught English in Buenos Aires. One of her great virtues as our director is that she is completely bilingual! It is hard to find a director as fluent in Spanish and English as Adriana. She also knows Buenos Aires like the back of her hand! She loves to read, practice yoga, and stroll the beautiful Buenos Aires neighborhoods. In her spare time, she works for several volunteer organizations, one of which is a non-profit that assists street children in completing their education and finding work. You are going to enjoy having Adriana as your director! |
Jeff Erbig Jeff was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up across the river in New Jersey. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in World History from Messiah College and is pursuing a Masters/PhD in Latin American History at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Although originally fascinated by and dedicated to South Asian Studies, Jeff’s life took a turn toward South America in 2004 when he participated in a study abroad program at the Universidad San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador. He has been back and forth between Ecuador and the United States three times now; the most recent two trips to investigate in Ecuador’s historical archives. Besides history, Jeff is passionate about languages. He has spent the past half decade studying and teaching language. He currently works as an English teacher in Buenos Aires, where he has lived since early 2008. Apart from living and studying in Quito and Argentina, he has also traveled to Uruguay, Peru, and Bolivia, visiting such sites as the famous silver mines of Potosí and the ruins of Machu Picchu. When he is not teaching, researching, or studying, Jeff can frequently be found in one of Buenos Aires many parks either running or exercising on gymnastics rings. His other interests include cycling, hiking, and playing cards. |
Benjamin Griffith Benjamin Griffith first started studying the Spanish language at the age of ten when his family moved from his native Louisiana to Texas. Since that first seed was planted in junior high school, it has sprouted, grown and flourished into a life long career and deep rooted love of the language and the many countries where Spanish is spoken. Benjamin’s international experience started in high school when he joined the Amigos de las Americas program and worked in community service projects in Honduras ‘76, Nicaragua ‘77 and Paraguay ‘78. In 1979 he did his first study abroad program in Mexico City. In 1981 he studied in Costa Rica with the University of Houston’s summer program abroad and the following year, 1982, he received a scholarship from the Institute of Hispanic Culture of Houston to continue his studies in Madrid, Spain. That same year, he received a B.A. degree in Spanish from the University of Houston (UH). In 1984, Benjamin decided to continue his international studies and moved to Paris, France where he received the Diplome de Langue Francaise from the Alliance Francaise de Paris in 1985. Upon returning to Houston, he continued his studies at UH and in 1987 received a B.A. in French and his Secondary Ed. Teacher’s Certification in Secondary Language Acquisition. In 1996, he was awarded the Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera, Nivel Superior by the Universidad de Salamanca through the Embassy of Spain-Education Office. In 1988 Benjamin began teaching at Lamar High School in Houston, Texas where he has taught IB Spanish for the last 21 years. Throughout his career he has been a member of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese and served as the Treasurer of the local Brazos chapter for 17 years. He is also a member of the Texas Foreign Language Association. He has presented educational workshops at the local, state and international level. During his teaching career, Benjamin has received numerous prestigious awards as a testimony to his dedication to the profession: Red Award for Outstanding Teacher-Lamar High School 1996; Outstanding Educator Award-University of Richmond 1997; Teacher of the Year-Lamar High School 2001; Outstanding Community Leader/Educator Award-Rotary International 2003; named Huesped Distinguido de la Ciudad de Cuernavaca, Mexico-Ayuntamiento de Cuernavaca 2004 and the Lee Keding Award for Teaching Excellence-Lamar High School 2009. To support his philosophy of “the world as the classroom”, Benjamin has traveled with student groups throughout Latin America, Europe and Asia. For the last 17 years, he has been the coordinator of a study program at the Cemanahuac Educational Community in Cuernavaca, Mexico. We are happy to have Benjamin as part of the Sol Abroad team this summer! |
Sofía Gellon Sofía was born and raised in Argentina’s capital city of Buenos Aires. She has a degree in Education from the University of Buenos Aires and is currently working on her Master’s degree in Spanish Linguistics at the Univerisy of Houston (UH). Sofia understands first hand what its like moving to a different country and having to adapt to a new culture. She first learned this when she and her husband moved to Los Angeles from Buenos Aires in 2001. They lived in Los Angeles for three years while her husband finished his PhD in Political Science at UCLA. Once he was finished, it was her turn to go back to school, so they then moved to Houston, TX for her Master’s program at the University of Houston. Sofia has taught Spanish since she moved to the United Sates with her husband in 2001. She has experience with many age groups and has taught everyone from young children to adults. Sofia currently teaches Advanced Spanish classes at the Universtiy of Houston and loves motivating her students to study abroad! Besides her teaching experience, Sofia also worked for Dean Foster Associates, a company that helps employees who are transfered to foreign countries to adjust to their new environment. Working in this capacity gave her invaluable experience in helping students adjust to their study abroad experience! One of Sofia’s greatest passions is travel. She has visited many Latin American countries such as Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica, and Mexico. Even though she currently lives in Houston, TX, her true love is her home city of Buenos Aires. She spends her summers in Argentina every year and is looking forward to sharing her city with you! |
Jimena Sabagh Jimena was born in Córdoba, Argentina, the heartland of the Argentina Pampas and was raised in Villa Allende, a small town located in the Sierras Chicas. Her university studies were completed at the prestigious Universidad Católica de Córdoba, obtaining a degree in Social Studies and Political Science. She has always been fascinated with foreign cultures, and has traveled throughout Latin America and Europe. Before coming on board with Sol Abroad, Jimena taught English and History to students in Córdoba. She has always enjoyed teaching and working with students. Jimena is completely in love with her country, its culture and history, and is always excited to show its hidden mysteries, fervent history, and secluded tango shows to its visitors!! |
Ron Roosevelt Ron was raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. His love of language and culture stemmed from his parents and began at an early age. For as long as he can remember, his parents would speak German when they did not want him to understand what they were saying. Ron was fascinated by this use of language. After gaining further inspiration from his high school Latin professor, Ron set out on his own path of learning and mastering foreign languages. At Indiana University-Bloomington, Ron majored in German and Spanish, and minored in Business and Latin. Still thirsty for more language study he took several classes in Portuguese. Needless to say, his passion for languages and his love for traveling are apparent. As an undergraduate, Ron studied abroad for a year in Germany using the country as his base to explore the rest of Europe. After living in Germany for a year, he switched his focus to South America; specifically honing in on Buenos Aires because of its rich culture and history. Ron moved to Buenos Aires in December 2006 to teach English. Ron loves sharing his passion for language and culture with others. His position as the director for Sol Education Abroad in Buenos Aires allows him to show students all that his home Buenos Aires has to offer. Besides his love of working with foreign students, Ron’s hobbies include playing fútbol, studying foreign languages, photography, outdoor activities, and partaking in the famous Argentine asado, or barbeque. READ MORE! |
Sebastián Lardone Sebastián was born and raised in the center of the Argentine Pampas, the heartland of his country. At the age of 16, he enrolled in the Rotary Youth Exchange Program, taking him to New Zealand to attend high school for a year. It was here that Sebastián found his passion not only for diverse cultures and languages, but also for nature and outdoor activities. He gave back to the Rotary Program by providing housing for foreign students in Argentina for several years. His university studies were completed in Argentina, obtaining a degree in Business Administration. Through his university’s Double Diploma Exchange Program, he was able to also major in International Business Administration and study abroad in Germany for a year. Upon returning from Germany, he organized diverse venues and programs for students arriving to Argentina through university exchange programs. He has traveled extensively in all of Europe, South America, and the USA, and now lives year-round in Buenos Aires, a city that he knows like the back of his hand. He is Sol Education Abroad’s onsite director in the “Paris of South America”! |
Derrick Ryan Derrick was born in Minnesota but has lived in Spain, Chile and Mexico as a child, teenager and adult. His interest in language and culture started at a young age when he learned of Concordia Language Villages (CLV), a Spanish immersion program located in several locations throughout the USA. Since then, he has been a counselor as well as a high school credit Spanish teacher at CLV. He received his B.A. at the American University in Washington, D.C. in Spanish Linguistics, Secondary Education and Translation and then went on to earn his M.A. in Spanish Linguistics at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He also studied at la Universidad Diego Portales in Santiago, Chile. He has worked for the United States Senate as a translator (Spanish) and an interpreter (Spanish and American Sign Language), LADO International College as the Spanish Program Director as well as with many community service organizations in the Washington, D.C. area such as CentroNía, la Clínica del Pueblo and the Latin American Youth Center. Derrick is also a certified and practicing high school Spanish teacher in Maryland and just completed a year-long teacher exchange through the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program teaching English, Educational Psychology and Pedagogy at la Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas in Tapachula, Mexico. Derrick´s interests include hiking, camping, traveling, volunteering, translating, reading, playing the piano and second language acquisition. |
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Juan Sanchez Juan was born and raised in the heart of Costa Rica, in the small colonial town of Atenas. He grew up exploring the highland villages, active volcanoes and gorgeous waterfalls that are quintessential of his homeland. Obtaining a degree in Natural Resource Management allowed him to extensively travel throughout Costa Rica developing an intimate understanding of the country’s flora and fauna. This educational experience eventually led him to become certified as a tour guide. Juan’s desire to explore more of the world took him to Arizona, where he studied with Columbia University and conducted research in the famous Biosphere2 Center. Currently, Juan teaches Spanish the Cambridge School of Weston, a private boarding school in Massachusetts, and is co-director of their intensive Spanish and Science abroad program. Juan has led programs for students to Guatemala and Belize. When not studying or teaching, Juan can be found backpacking almost anywhere, and has hiked and explored in Thailand, Japan, Mexico, South and Central America, and Western Europe. Juan is an expert when it comes to his home country, and is currently Sol Education Abroad’s main director in Atenas, Costa Rica. As a director in Costa Rica, he hopes to share his passion for the Spanish language, environmental conservation, and of course the culture of his native country. Juan is euphoric about soccer and thinks Costa Rica can one day win the World Cup! |
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Janiva Cifuentes-Hiss Janiva was born and raised in Olympia, Washington. Her passion for travel began at an early age when she lived with her family in Bogotá, Colombia, where her mother was born. While studying Japanese in high school she traveled around Japan with her host sister and teacher. She went on to study abroad in college in Salamanca, Spain. A graduate of Pomona College in Latin American Studies, Janiva has dedicated her career to leading life-changing journeys throughout the Spanish-speaking world. Over the past four years Janiva has directed study abroad and volunteer programs in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and Spain. Her journeys have taken her to volunteer with Indigenous communities in the Amazon, participate in a vision quest in Patagonia, and trek to the Mayan ruins of Tikal and Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. An independent producer, her documentaries include Luna Nueva Biodynamic Farm (Costa Rica, 2008), Cafe Conciencia: Coffee with a Conscience (Guatemala, 2007), and Displaced (Colombia, 2005). She is a member of the editing team for Super Natural Adventures, creating videos to get kids excited about nature. Janiva is also a freelance journalist published in the Tico Times, Teen People, and The Encyclopedia Latina. Her interests include yoga, sustainable development, organic farming, salsa dancing, and capoeira. She has served as Costa Rica Director with Sol Education Abroad since 2007 and is Wilderness First Responder certified. |
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Alejandro Murillo Alejandro is originally from Costa Rica and was born and raised in Alajuela, a small city in the Central Valley just 10 miles away from Atenas. Working as an assistant director for Sol Abroad combines two of his greatest passions: education and Costa Rica. Alejandro knows first-hand what it’s like to adapt to a foreign culture. He moved with his wife (who is American) to the US in 2003. After living in the US all of these years, he has a good understanding of the differences and similarities between US culture and Costa Rican culture. He’s great at explaining Costa Rican idiosyncrasies! Alejandro has worked with youth since he was 17. He worked as an organizer, and eventually as a director, of youth camps for 15 years. This work led him to lead groups to El Salvador, Mexico, and Cuba as well as to areas throughout Costa Rica. Alejandro got his degree in Physical Education from the prestigious University of Costa Rica. He also took coursework in Journalism at the Latin University of Costa Rica and was a study abroad student at Tusculum College in Greenville, TN to perfect his English. After completing his degree, he started teaching high school and taught at a Costa Rican high school for 8 years. Alejandro is passionate about soccer and recently received a national license from the California Youth Soccer Association where he is also an instructor. He is a fantastic player and was a member of the Costa Rican National Soccer Team when he was a teenager (16 and 19 years old). While in Costa Rica he also was a soccer instructor and coach for the Liga, one of the most famous professional soccer clubs in Costa Rica. In the states, Alejandro has worked for several high schools and has been a Spanish teacher at Elk Grove high school in California since 2007. Alejandro also coaches soccer for the Elk Grove United Soccer Club. Alejandro’s other interests include amateur photography, film, and hiking. You are going to enjoy having Alejandro as one of your directors. We are very happy to have him on the team this summer! |
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Mercedes Arias Mercedes is a native of Atenas, Costa Rica and is the director and founder of ATESA, the Atenas Spanish School. The school and her home are both on a traditional farm that has been in her family for generations. Mercedes received her degree in Spanish Literature and Grammar from the prestigious National University in Heredia, Costa Rica. Upon graduating, she was immediately hired by the Peace Corps to teach Spanish to volunteers. She also coordinated the placement of these volunteers throughout the country. Later, she taught high school in Atenas for many years and continued to teach Spanish to foreigners. In 2004 she began receiving volunteer programs and since that point has dedicated herself full time to teaching Spanish to foreigners and coordinating volunteer placements throughout Costa Rica. Mercedes is married to Miguel Arias and has two lovely daughters, Noelia and Melissa. |
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Diego Baquero Diego is the assistant director and co-founder of ATESA. He has a love of languages and teaches Spanish, French, and ESL! Diego graduated with a degree in Spanish from the University of Costa Rica located in San José. He also received a degree in French from the Alliance Francaise. Currently, Diego is studying at the National University in Heredia to obtain his Master’s degree in Translation. His international teaching destinations have been in Canada, the USA, and in Europe. Diego was a teaching fellow at Hamilton College in upstate New York and he worked as a volunteer in France for a year. Currently, Atenas is Diego happy home! |
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María Guerrero María is a bilingual education teacher and graduate from the University of Science and Technology of Costa Rica (ULACIT) in San José. She has worked in elementary and high school settings teaching both English and Spanish as a foreign language. María has been an active member of both ATESA and Sol Abroad proving herself a skillful teacher of Spanish for Foreigners. |
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Layla Meerloo Layla is originally from London, England and has lived in Oaxaca since 2005. She has always had strong links to the Spanish-speaking world and a passion for travel. Her grandfather is from Spain and after completing her degree in Social Anthropology at the University of Manchester in England where she took classes in Latin American Studies. She moved to Valencia, Spain to teach English for 7 months and to improve her Spanish skills, she also studied abroad as an undergraduate student in Cuba. Her time spent in Spain, and her experience in Cuba, spurred her interest in exploring Latin America further. This interest led to a job in Mexico and she arrived to Oaxaca in 2005 to work in a remote indigenous village. In the village she taught English at the elementary school and worked on various community development projects, mainly with local youth. After working in the indigenous village she then took a job with a local non-profit organization in Oaxaca City called Puente, dedicated to battling malnutrition in the indigenous villages around Oaxaca State. She taught nutritional workshops to the local community and elementary schools. She also monitored a local market project designed to boost the village economy. Besides her travel experience in Spain, Cuba, and Mexico, Layla has also traveled all over the world. She has been to South East Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia), Australia, the U.S., Africa (Morocco, Egypt, and Kenya), Guatemala, and Belize. |
Esteban Lardone Esteban was born in Patagonia, southern Argentina. He was fortunate enough to attend high school in Norway when he moved there with his family. This experience sparked his passion for the outdoors, and he spent most of his weekends exploring the fjords near his home. With his mother being a history teacher, Esteban began reading Latin American literature at a very early age, falling in love with his native Spanish language. His last year of high school was completed in Mexico City, and after graduation he spent the summer backpacking and kayaking his way through Baja California. Esteban attended the University of Texas at Austin, obtaining a degree in Management Information Systems. Upon graduating, Esteban worked for several years in the corporate tech environment, but increasing travel to various parts of the globe saw him eventually transition from the cubicle life to pursue a career in study abroad programs. He became a study abroad director and is currently our director in Buenos Aires. Esteban has a passion for the Spanish language, loves to rock climb, teaches yoga in his spare time, and helps run a non-profit organization in the coffee growing region of México. |
Justine Standaert Justine is originally from Belgium. As a teenager she always dreamed of studying abroad and in 2000 her dream came true. She was accepted into an AFS program and lived for a year as an exchange student in Ciudad Ixtepec, a small town on the isthmus of Oaxaca State, Mexico. This was a life changing experience and the start of an exciting path. While in Mexico, she learned Spanish, how to make hammocks, was taught songs in the Zapotec language, and learned to cook traditional Zapotec and Mexican dishes. She experienced all that Southern Mexico had to offer. In short, she fell in love with Mexico. For her university degree Justine returned to Belgium and studied jewelry design in Antwerp. Every year she would travel back to Mexico. In Belgium, Justine taught Spanish classes and began selling her hand-made jewelry. Apart from traveling in Mexico, Justine has also spent time in Ghana, England, Spain, and the US. In 2003 she was selected as an Erasmus student; a prestigious exchange program directed by the European Union. As an Erasmus student, she studied for 6 months at the University of Barcelona in Spain. In 2005 Justine finished her Master’s degree and immediately set off to travel. Naturally, her first stop was Oaxaca! There she taught English to both children and adults and sold her jewelry. After 5 months living and working in Oaxaca she traveled to Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Venezuela and finally found her way to Brazil where she lived for 2 months learning Portuguese. She also found employment with a local non-profit and worked with abused children. After her Latin American travels Justine returned to Belgium. She found the move back to Europe to be too much of a culture shock and immediately returned to Oaxaca where she secured a position teaching English and French to children. Justine also picked up her jewelry business (JustineJustine). Today she sells her jewelry in 4 shops in Oaxaca, 1 in Belgium and online. Justine’s hobbies include painting, jewelry making, design, travel, languages (she speaks Dutch, French, Spanish, English, and Portuguese!), cooking, baking, dancing, and reading. |
Carole Cadoppi Carole was born and raised in Seattle, WA but has lived for many years in San Francisco, CA with her three teenage sons. Carole has a true love for languages and cultures and is also a very talented musician. She holds a degree in Flute Performance from San Francisco State University (SFSU) and also holds another music degree from the Conservatorio G.B. Martini in Bologna, Italy. Carole also has a MA and ABD in Italian Language & Literature with a minor in French from UC Berkeley. In addition to these studies and interests, Carole has always had a passionate interest in Mexico and lived in Mexico City for a year after high school (she says it was the best year of her life!). After this experience she continued to travel through Europe and after graduating from SFSU she lived in Parma, Italy for 3 years. During her time in Italy, she studied music and taught English. She has now taught Italian for 23 years at various universities and colleges in the Bay Area and currently teaches Italian at City College of San Francisco. Carole studied abroad with City College one winter break in Oaxaca and it’s when she first fell in love with this beautiful city! She has taught Spanish at Lowell High School in San Francisco since 2004. Carole has also followed a career as a professional musician and performed with the Panorpheus Classical Flute and Guitar Duo for 20 years. Carole continues to teach flute privately. Carole loves to travel and dedicates her summers to discovering a different Latin American country each year. So far she has been to Mexico, Costa Rica and Guatemala! Her hobbies include bike writing, poetry, yoga, film, and travel. |
Sarah Hansen As the daughter of a military father, Sarah has been a world traveler since birth. As such, she has had the privilege of living all over the United States and even Cuba. From the coast of Virginia to the plains of Oklahoma, from the powder snows of Utah to the tundra of Alaska, she has seen and done it all! When her father decided to retire in Central Texas, she found her home base in Austin, TX; a city she dearly loves. She attended the University of Texas (UT) at Austin where she had the opportunity to study abroad twice; first in Salamanca, Spain and the following year in Mérida, Venezuela. Due to her love and passion for the Spanish language and its cultures, she decided to major in Spanish and graduated from UT with honors, after which she spent almost a decade teaching Spanish in Austin and nearby Pflugerville. She has taught all levels of Spanish, and most recently was teaching AP Spanish IV for native speakers at John B. Connally High School in Austin. During her summers off, she often traveled to Mexico, touring the country from coast to coast. Ever since her first journey as a study abroad student, she has always wanted to work and live in a Spanish-speaking country and in 2008 she decided to make the big move to Granada, Spain. She is an avid amateur photographer and chef, and enjoys sharing the rich culture of Spain through the art of taking amazing pictures and preparing delicious food such as Spanish tapas. Sarah’s other hobbies including reading, music, and taking long walks around Granada. Sarah is passionate about study abroad and is excited to foster that same passion in the Sol Abroad students she serves. Sarah´s knowledge of the culture of Spain and its language and her lifetime of travel experience are an added bonus to those on the program. You will love having Sarah as your director! |
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Germán Casado Germán was born and raised in Durcal, a small Andalusian town outside of Granada, Spain. He holds a Master’s Degree in Translation & Interpretation (English, French, & Italian) from the prestigious University of Granada. He also has a degree in Business French from the Business Chamber of Paris. Germán has studied and lived in France, Belgium and Italy, where he perfected his language skills. He is a true outdoor enthusiast! Germán has worked for sporting events such as the World Championship for Alpine Skiing in the Sierra Nevada (Granada), and the World Cup for mountain biking. Germán is skilled at rock climbing, mountaineering, mountain biking, skiing and roller blading. There isn’t much Germán doesn’t do! Besides travel and outdoor extreme sports, Germán has worked as a producer for documentary films for the BBC and other European programs that focus on Andalusia. Since 1997, Germán has operated a travel and study abroad business in Granada for North American and European students. He also combines his work as a study abroad director with leading hiking trips to the Alps and the Atlas mountains. You will really enjoy having Germán as your director! Granada is his speciality! |
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Brent Hunter Brent was raised in Brenham, a small town in central Texas. As a high school student he developed a passionate interest in the Spanish language. Beyond his love of language, he also took great interest in the outdoors and environmental conservation. As a result of these interests, Brent studied at the University of Texas at Austin, where he double-majored in Field Biology and Spanish Linguistics. He later completed an MBA in International Business at St. Edward's University, also located in Austin. It was not until college that Brent discovered the inspiring possibilities offered by study abroad programs. For his first experience, he traveled to Mérida, Venezuela on a summer study abroad program. Later, he completed his MBA coursework while studying abroad in Costa Rica. He has been hooked on the importance of study abroad ever since! Brent has always enjoyed working with students and is a natural guide. As an Eagle Scout he worked during the summers as a counselor at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico. Brent has worked for many years now as an overseas program director for student groups in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Spain. He loves sharing unique cultures and places with others. Brent's other interests include hiking, rock climbing, yoga, biking, art, and reading contemporary Spanish literature. |
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Nuria Sánchez Nuria was born near the English colony of Gibraltar in the city of La Línea de la Concepción. She has her licenciatura (almost like a Master’s in the US) in Environmental Science from the University of Granada. Later she spent four years in Seville studying sculpture, taking additional classes and working. Currently, she is completing another degree in Fine Arts at the University of Granada. Nuria is also passionate about languages. She studied English at the University of Cambridge in England She has taken courses on teaching Spanish as a foreign language and speaks English, Turkish, and Italian. She loves studying abroad! Besides her time in England, she lived for a year in Turkey and six months in Padua, Italy working and taking language courses in both places. Nuria has held many interesting jobs. She worked for an Andalusian recycling program and was involved with decision-making on waste management in the region (urban, residential, and agricultural waste). Nuria has also worked extensively in tourism both in and out of Spain. She was a guide for dolphin watching in the Strait of Gibraltar where she worked with tourists from all over the world. She has worked the last few years as a tourist guide at the world-famous Alhambra Palace. She has also worked as a language instructor. She taught English in Granada, and in Turkey was a Spanish professor. Her main focus in Turkey, however, was an environmental education project with Turkish children. This was funded through the prestigious European Volunteer Service Grant. While in Italy she worked for a company that studied contaminated water sources and worked towards solutions to water pollution in Venice. Nuria’s other interests include painting, theater, film, sports, environmental volunteerism, and music. She loves dancing and going to concerts! Nuria is also a huge fan of the beach and enjoys scuba diving. She is a very open and active person! You will enjoy having Nuria as one of your directors! |
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Juan García Juan (or Juan Eke, as we like to call him) was born in the north of Spain in Asturias. When he was very young his parents immigrated to Oaxaca, Mexico where they still reside. Juan grew up in Oaxaca and attended university there. He has a degree in Communication. During his years in Oaxaca he developed a life-long love of music and working with sound. He was the lead singer for an alternative band called Eleanor and toured all over Mexico. They even had music videos on MTV Mexico! Juan loves to travel and learn about new cultures and above all else meeting new people! His desire to travel and pursue his passion for music and sound led him back to Spain as an adult and he has lived in Madrid since 2006. Besides his work with Sol Juan is a sound technician at a famous flamenco tablao called Las Carboneras. Juan works with recording for bands, his own musical projects, and creating music scores for film and theater. Since the first day he arrived to Spain Juan has worked as part of the Sol team. He is a very happy and communicative person and enjoys helping students feel comfortable upon their arrival to a new country and a new experience! |
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Arturo Merino Arturo was born in Colchester, England while his father was finishing his Master’s degree. When he was four his parents moved back to their home of Mexico City where they raised Arturo. Arturo lived in Mexico City until he finished college. He has one brother, Edgar, who is a musician and lives in Mexico City and one sister, Claudia, who lives in San Luis Potosi, Mexico and she is studying her Master’s in Chemistry. When Arturo finished high school he lived in Cancun for 6 months. It was an incredible experience living away from home for the first time. He loved the experience because of the beautiful beaches and also because he met people from all over the world. Later, after college, Arturo decided to study abroad for his post-graduate degree and applied to the same Master’s program that his father had done in the UK but he received a better scholarship to study in Madrid so he moved to Spain! Arturo move to Madrid in 2004 and loves his adopted city! Arturo has worked in many different public and private companies but always with something related with International Trade. He first started working in the Mexican Ex-Im Bank and after that he worked for the California Trade & Commerce Agency in Mexico. Then, he changed to the private sector, working for an Internet Start-Up Company making online auctions for different businesses. Currently, Arturo works for a Spanish Contractor who specializes in the energy sector for the International Purchasing Department. Arturo loves his job because he enjoys meeting people from different places and he is always interacting with people from different cultures. When he was studying for his Master’s he met his girlfriend who is from Romania - so this is yet another new culture that he has gotten to know!!! Arturo loves working with young people as part of the Sol Abroad program in Madrid and looks forward to sharing Madrid with you and introducing you to Spain! |
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Alberto Peña López Alberto is a native madrileño (from Madrid) who has had the distinct advantage of growing up in both Madrid and Granada, and knows both cities like the back of his hand. He attended the University of Francisco de Vitoria in Madrid where he earned a degree in business, after which he spent a year studying English and working in the hotel and tourism industry in Scotland. He has traveled extensively throughout Europe and is passionate about sharing his discoveries and stories with others. He currently owns two successful businesses in Granada where he works with foreigners and locals every day. He is philosophical, pensive, open-minded, extremely generous and gregarious. He is happy to share his knowledge and expertise with you. |
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