SHANNON O’HALLORAN, CO-DIRECTOR
Shannon first fell in love with travel and languages during her senior year of high school at Phillips Exeter Academy when she studied in Cuernavaca, Mexico during her winter semester. While not on full scholarship, like many of her travel mates, Shannon would never have been able to participate in such a trip if it had not been part of her tuition. This concept continues to resonate with her today. She went on to study international relations at Georgetown University where she focused on language and cultural studies of Latin America and studied internationally in Buenos Aires.
Shannon grew up in a small town on the seacoast of New Hampshire, but has spent her adult life living in Washington, DC, New York and Boston. After graduation she worked as a Spanish teacher, advisor and coach at independent schools in New York and Massachusetts and recently completed her EdM in International Educational Development at Boston University.
In the summer of 2009, Shannon led a group of 15 high school students on an adventure and service learning trip through Costa Rica with Walking Tree Travel. Witnessing the personal transformation of each student throughout the trip has further solidified her desire to make international travel and learning experiences accessible to all youth. She has made numerous trips back to Mexico and has traveled throughout Europe, Argentina, Nicaragua, Uruguay and Puerto Rico. Shannon loves planning trips, writing, and challenging both herself and others to try new things.
Contact: directors@thewanderingscholar.org
TAMARA J. WALKER, CO-DIRECTOR
Tamara grew up in Denver, Colorado and spent the first half of her education attending poorly funded public schools. After receiving a generous scholarship, she enrolled at an area private school, where international education was deeply ingrained into both the culture and curriculum. Even as a seventh grader, she lagged behind her peers, who by then had been studying foreign languages, learning about other countries, and traveling abroad for several years.
While initially overwhelmed, she soon began to thrive in this environment, and was eventually able to put her Spanish and French skills to the test on class trips to Mexico and France. These experiences helped solidify a passion for cross-cultural exchange, which she continued to pursue as a Spanish major at the University of Pennsylvania (when she studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina), and later as a PhD student in Latin American History at the University of Michigan (when she received a Fulbright award for study in Peru).
Today, Tamara is an Assistant Professor of Colonial Latin American History at the University of Pennsylvania. As someone who was fortunate enough to gain exposure to international education at a young age, she knows how important those experiences are in shaping career possibilities. She sees The Wandering Scholar as an important step towards ensuring that more underserved students receive the kinds of opportunities that helped change her own life.
Contact: directors@thewanderingscholar.org
SARA LIZZUL, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS MANAGER
Sara Lizzul is from Queens, New York the most multi-ethnic county in the United States. She can’t remember exactly when her interest in culture and international travel began; but she is sure contributing factors were her hometown and her desire to understand the range and variation of human experience. Sara attended Binghamton University and received a B.A. in Anthropology and History with a minor in Asian and Asian American Studies. Upon graduation, She traveled to Varanasi India to study Hindi, learn Kathak dance, and conduct a qualitative study. Her experience in India culminated in the writing of a fieldwork thesis entitled “Does Modesty Matter? A Study of Middle Class Hindu Women in Varanasi.”
After an internship for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s International Office she knew she wanted to devote her life to the creation of international experiences for students. Shortly thereafter, Sara began working in Queens College’s Education Abroad office as the Associate Director with a specialization in Asia. Acting as a Site Director during the winter and summer months, she has led short-term study abroad programs to China, Japan, and India. She is currently an International Education Master’s student at NYU Steinhardt.
Contact: sara@thewanderingscholar.org
