Krystina Heidelberg is serving as one of the Co-Presidents for the Society of International Education. She is currently a 2nd year Ed.M. student in the Anthropology and Education Program and has a M.A in International Educational Development. She was raised in Houston, Texas and has taught in Guangzhou, China for about a year and a half. She is passionate about cultural competency, multilingualism programs, international education communication standards, and how those collaborative factors relate to teacher training, school structure, teacher retention and learner outcomes in international education institutions.
Sujung Hwang is serving as one of the Co-Presidents for the Society for International Education. She is a second-year MA student in the International Educational Development program in the Human Rights, Emergencies, and Peacebuilding cluster. She is from Seoul, South Korea, worked in a nonprofit newspaper organization supporting local homeless communities for 4 years in Memphis, Tennessee where she studied Educational Studies and English literature. Her research interests include refugee resettlement and language education in the nonprofit sector.
Linh Nguyen is a second-year MA student in the International Educational Development program in the cluster of Multilingual and Decolonial Dimensions of Education. She is from Hanoi, Vietnam and has lived in New York for 5 years. Her research interests are internationalization of higher education, study abroad programs and intercultural exchange.
Sumit Karn is a doctoral student in the International and Transcultural Studies department at Teachers College, Columbia University. As an interdisciplinary scholar, his scholarly pursuits delve deep into public opinion's impact on education-related policy making in low- and middle-income countries, primarily in South Asia, and discerning the deeply interwoven sociopolitical, economic, and religious forces that shape these opinions and, in turn, influence the consequential decision-making processes. Sumit holds an M.A. in International Educational Development from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a B.A. in Strategic Communication from Washington State University.
Jane Winthrop is a second-year MA student in the International Educational Development program. She is from Richmond, Virginia and worked as an ENL Teacher before moving to New York. Prior to this teaching experience, she served as a Language Assistant in Madrid, Spain and as a park ranger. She is interested in language acquisition in study abroad, multilingual and intercultural education, education for newcomer students in the U.S., and education abroad in South America.
Zhixin Gu is a first-year MA student in the Instructional Technology, Media program. She is from Shijiazhuang, China and used to be a curator and a storybook writer for three years. She is interested in producing intercultural theaters and making toys and tools that help children’s learning process.
Ava Zhi is a first-year MA student in the Comparative and International Education program with a concentration in Anthropology. She is from Ningbo, China, and has lived in the US for 8 years. She is interested in exploring international student mobility, international education agencies, and international education policy.
Bontu Kumsa, a first-year graduate student specializing in international and comparative education at Teachers College, Columbia University, is the subject of our attention. Her academic journey commenced with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Statistics, complemented by a minor in Public Health, which she obtained from George Washington University. Concurrently, Bontu dedicates part of her time to USAID, where she focuses on economics and agricultural economics. Looking ahead, her aspirations encompass a future in diplomacy, a path she envisions post-graduation from Columbia University.
Spring 2023 Board
Krystina Heidelberg is serving as one of the Co-Presidents for the Society of International Education. She is also a 2nd year MA student in International Educational Development. She was raised in Houston, Texas and has taught in Guangzhou, China for about 15 months. She also has multiple years of experience in K-12 education. Her passion and research interests consist largely of the dynamic between local and international teachers in education institutions in Eastern countries. She also is passionate about cultural competency, international education communication standards, and how those collaborative factors relate to teacher training, school structure, teacher retention and learner outcomes in international education institutions.
Yannis Yan is a second-year MA student in the International Educational Development program with a concentration in International Policy Planning. She is from Chengdu, China and finished her bachelor degree at UW-Madison. Yannis Yan has research experience in special education with autism and technology learning. Regarding the research interests, she is interested in SES, higher education, and education inequality in the future.
Sujung Hwang is a first-year MA student in the International Educational Development program in the human rights, emergencies, and peacebuilding cluster. She is from Seoul, South Korea, and worked in a nonprofit newspaper organization supporting local homeless communities during undergrad in Memphis, Tennessee where she studied Educational Studies and English literature. Her research interests include refugee education and English language education in informal contexts.
Joo Hyun is a second-year MA student in the International Educational Development program with a concentration in Languages, Literacies, and Cultures. She is from Seoul, South Korea but grew up in Shanghai, China and did her undergraduate in Montréal, Canada. Joo Hyun has teaching experiences with K-G6 students in public, French immersion, and international schools in Canada and Korea. As a trilingual, she is interested in bilingual/multilingual education, student rights, and teacher education/training.
Sherry Ruan is a second-year MA student in the International Educational Development program, with a concentration in Peace and Human Rights. She is from Guangzhou, China, and has been studying in the US since 2017. She graduated from New York University, with a BS degree in Early childhood and Special Education, and a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. She has experience working in six different countries and educational systems, and her research interests are refugee education, special/inclusive education in emergency contexts. She is also working at the Rita Gold Early Childhood Center at Teachers College.
Linh Nguyen is a first-year MA student in the International Educational Development program in the cluster of Multilingual and Decolonial Dimensions of Education. She is from Hanoi, Vietnam and received her dual bachelor’s degrees in Educational Studies and Media & Society at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in upstate New York. Her research interests are internationalization of higher education, study abroad programs and intercultural exchange. She is also working as a Graduate Assistant at Columbia Global Collaboratory.
2022-2023 Board
Zining (Manta) Zhu is a first-year MA student in International Educational Development with a concentration in Languages, Literacy, and Culture, serving as the CO-Chair of Diversity & Inclusion for the Society of International Education. She is from Kunming, China, and has studied abroad in the U.S since 2015. With dual bachelor’s degrees in TESOL and Psychology from the Ohio State University, she has experience teaching English language learners from grade k to 12. As an English language learner and an international student herself, Manta’s research interests are EL education, second language acquisition, studying abroad programs, and intercultural competence. Apart from this, Manta is also a play editor for the “MaoRongRong” Reading Program for Children with Visual Disability, and the academic affairs director for Beijing Lessons in Childhood Developmental Program.
Krystina Heidelberg is a first year MA student in International Educational Development with a concentration in Family and Community Education. She was raised in Houston , Texas and has taught in Guangzhou, China for 15 months. She completed her bachelor at Northern Arizona University in Criminology. Her passion and interests consist largely of the dynamic between local and international teachers in privatized education and how that may relate to teacher training, school structure and learner outcomes in China.
Vandita Churiwal is a first-year MA student in International Educational Development with a concentration in International Policy and Planning. She is from Kolkata, India and has previously worked in Auroville, Pune and Bengaluru. She has taught middle school children in a low-income school and created a curriculum to empower government school teachers of India. She is passionate about teacher professional development and creating equitable educational opportunities for children from around the world!
Yannis Yan is a first-year MA student in the International Educational Development program with a concentration in International Policy Planning. She is from Chengdu, China and finished her bachelor degree at UW-Madison. Yannis Yan has research experience in special education with autism and technology learning. Regarding the research interests, she is interested in SES, higher education, and education inequality in the future.
Joo Hyun is a first-year MA student in the International Educational Development program with a concentration in Languages, Literacies, and Cultures. She is from Seoul, South Korea but grew up in Shanghai, China and did her undergraduate in Montréal, Canada. Joo Hyun has teaching experiences with K-G6 students in public, immersion, and international schools in Canada and Korea. As a trilingual, she is interested in bilingual/multilingual education, student rights, and teacher education/training.
Fall 2021 Board
Pia Maiti President
Pia is a second-year MA student in the International Educational Development program focusing on Languages, Literacies, and Cultures. She is originally from Argentina, and before joining TC she served as a Fulbright Spanish Teaching Assistant in Williams College in Massachusetts and taught English as a foreign language to international students in Brisbane, Australia. Pia is passionate about multicultural/multilingual education and her research interests are in non-dominant language policy, human rights education and gender equality.
Tracie Jarrard Vice President
Tracie is a second-year MA student in the International Educational Development program with a concentration in International Policy and Planning. She is from Dallas, TX and has previously worked in Basel, Switzerland and Hong Kong. She taught preschool and kindergarten for the past five years before attending Teachers College. Her research interests are in early childhood policies with a focus on policies that affect children in emergency and crisis contexts.
Jingran Su Secretary
Jingran is a second-year MA student in the International Education Development program under the track of Languages, Literacies, and Cultures. She comes from Nanjing, China, and has an academic background in French and English language and literature. She has teaching experiences with Russian students in primary/secondary education, with Chinese athletes and rural students in high schools. Jingran’s research interest lies in multilingual education, non-dominant groups, and educational inequality.