Some of my favorite foods: Ireland Edition
If you are going abroad, one thing you need to do is try as much
Meet the Team
The Learn International family shares a little about themselves and they would love to hear from you.
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Founders
Cara Simon
MA, MSW
Co-Founder and COO
Contact Cara for all Student Services, Student Health & Safety, Marketing and Employment queries
Email: [email protected]
She adores the field of IE and the impact it has on student growth, success and development. Cara is originally from upstate New York, where there are lots of trees and no sky-scrapers. She earned a BA from SUNY Geneseo and then pursued her MSW from Stony Brook University, followed by a stint in the South Pacific. After working as a Wilderness Therapist and Clinical Social Worker, she decided to switch careers into International Education and received her MA in Higher Education from the University of Arizona.
She is currently working on her Professional Certification in International Education from Forum on Education Abroad; an enriching experience, despite training herself to do “homework” again!
Cara lives for travel and exploring new places, cultures, people, which has guided her to live and work in Australia, Honduras and Costa Rica prior to the Republic of Ireland. She loves anything outdoors, a good book, and that she can access Netflix from almost anywhere in the world.
Chris Lawlor
MSc, MsC
Co-Founder and CEO
Contact Chris for all New Partnerships and Programme Development and future customised programmes
Email: [email protected]
Chris embraces education in all its forms. He is either building international education programmes for Learn International’s partners or enrolling in post grad programmes to ‘keep the brain healthy and alive!’. After completing his undergrad with a double major in Archaeology and Geography, he completed a M.Sc. in Sustainable Development which included a multi-country European study abroad trip.
From that point on, the wanderlust was instilled in Chris and he went on to live and work in international education in New Zealand, Australia, France, and USA before returning to Ireland to work with Dublin City University. He undertook a second M.Sc. in Business & Entrepreneurship before starting Learn International in 2013.
Despite the considerable amount of work travel that he does, Chris remains an avid adventurer and jumps at any chance to visit and explore new countries and destinations. He is currently working towards his third marathon and failing miserably at mastering kite-boarding.
Key People
Michelle Yalch
MA
Internships and Semester Abroad Manager
Contact Michelle for all advising queries related to internships, work experience and semester programmes.
Email: [email protected]
Michelle joined the team in April 2019. Originally from Pennsylvania, she began her international career on a student exchange to Northern Ireland when she was 16 and hasn’t stopped travelling since. She earned both her BA and MA from University College, Cork in Ireland, spending one year studying at the Università degli Studi di Bologna in Italy during her BA programme.
She’s been working in the field since 2009, working on study and volunteer abroad programmes at EIL Ireland in Cork, before working at The College of Global Studies at Arcadia University just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. During her time at Arcadia, she organised study abroad programmes, focusing on internships in Ireland, the UK and Australia, as well as freshman programmes to London and Scotland.
In her free time, when travel isn’t an option she enjoys baking, reading, hiking, crocheting and spending time with her pets, not necessarily in that order. When baking for a major event, it’s essential to practice, so trial runs tend to be shared with colleagues. This generally doesn’t lead to complaints.
Anna Zlotorzynska
Senior Accounts and Human resource Coordinator
Contact Anna for all accounts, payments and invoicing queries
Email: [email protected]
Anna is originally from Suwalki – most beautiful town in north-east Poland. Some call it Poland’s cold pole, others even say that you may encounter polar bear there.
She earned Certificate of Higher Education in Logistic in Enterprise in her home town and then decided to come to Ireland for one year only to learn the English language and gain some experience working internationally.
Anna loved the Irish people and also, the weather so she is still here after 12 years.
She holds a Diploma in Business and Accounting approved by ACCA and is IPASS Certified Payroll Specialist, she is a lifelong learner and will continue studying to gain more qualifications. Not only numbers were always Anna’s biggest passion, but the people behind them. She became a member of the Learn team in March 2019, where she is delighted to have an opportunity to bring these two things together.
Alicja Rynda
Study abroad Coordinator
Contact for semester programmes and internships
Email: [email protected]
Alicja is our Study Abroad Coordinator. She is originally from Poland and loves to travel and meet people from all over the world. In her free time, she rock climbs, practices yoga and takes care of her family – including two kitties.
coming soon
Bernadette Silva
BA
Marketing Coordinator
Email: [email protected]
Bernadette assists with graphics and visual communication materials for Learn International. She is the marketing guru. She has a Bachelor of Individualized Studies with specializations in English, History, Digital Filmmaking and Animation/Visual Effects from New Mexico State University.
She has also studied at Maynooth University in Ireland and the University of Kent in England and served as a Congressional Page at the U.S. House of Representatives with the 111th Congress. Bernadette also works with Lipstick Angels, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing comfort and dignity to hospital patients.
