Staff Biographies

Michelle Bolourchi joined the Global UGRAD team in April 2022. She grew up in a bicultural household where her interest in international education and languages blossomed. Her first time living abroad was during her junior year in college when she had the opportunity to study in Germany. In her own words: "I am originally from Long Beach, California, so you can imagine what a difference it was for me to live in northern Germany where it rained for most of the year. Nevertheless, aside from improving my German, I was able to learn how to ride a bicycle while holding an umbrella! That came in handy when I returned as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Germany after I graduated."

Since then, Michelle has studied in South Africa and India and traveled extensively for work and fun. While she lived in India, she recruited students for New York University Abu Dhabi. She worked for the Fulbright Program when she moved to Washington, DC. In addition to her bachelor’s degree in international studies and German, she completed a master’s degree in global studies in Germany and an MPhil in sociology of education in India. She is excited to continue supporting talented students from around the world through her role with Global UGRAD.

Jessica Mead is a technical expert for the Global UGRAD program and supports the team with event management, health, safety, and security issues, and strategic planning. From 2015 - 2024, she was the program manager of the Alumni Thematic International Exchange Seminars (Alumni TIES). Prior to Alumni TIES, from 2008-2015, Jessica worked on academic and professional exchange programs funded by the U.S. Department of State and USAID, most notably the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (UGRAD) for East Asia and the Pacific. In addition to her work in global exchanges, Jessica developed the Advancing Leaders Fellowship program for alumni of World Learning programs. 

Prior to World Learning, Jessica was an English professor in Santiago, Chile at DuocUC, an account executive in the international division of Powell Tate|Weber Shandwick, and a major gifts officer at the New England Regional Anti-Defamation League. She has a M.Sc. degree in the history of international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a B.A. degree from Sarah Lawrence College.

Amy Broome joined World Learning and the Global UGRAD team in March 2021 and currently serves as a Senior Program Officer, advising students from the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. She currently lives in Austin, Texas but grew up in Vermont. Amy has a master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied Arabic and Hebrew. Her bachelor's degree is in international relations from Wheaton College in Massachusetts. 

She is very much inspired to work with World Learning because of her study abroad experiences in Beijing and Cairo and her Fulbright scholarship to Muscat, Oman. Amy’s background is in managing international exchange programs in the United States, both for high school students and J-1 work programs.

Since February 2022, Jordan Ferrick (she/her) has served as the Global UGRAD Program Officer overseeing the Europe and Eurasia regions, leveraging a wealth of international experience gained through roles in advocacy, student engagement, and restorative justice, both within the United States and abroad. Her academic journey includes a master's degree in sustainable development from the School of International Training in Vermont where she focused on conflict transformation and peacebuilding, complementing her bachelor’s degree in international studies acquired at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Jordan's passion for fostering positive change and her educational background position her as a dynamic team member in advancing global education and development initiatives for World Learning and Global UGRAD.

Sarah Halligan started at World Learning in March 2021 and currently works with students from East Asia and the Pacific as the region’s Program Officer. She is currently based in Arlington, Virginia, and is originally from Salt Lake City, Utah. Sarah’s background is in a combination of higher education and immigration law. She completed her master’s degree in security policy from The George Washington University.

Melanie Winters is the Global UGRAD Program Officer for Sub-Saharan Africa, the South and Central Asia regions, as well as the Fulbright Commissions in Asia. She joined the World Learning team in March 2023. Originally from a small town outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, her passion for travel started at a young age as she watched her grandparents travel the world. Melanie was an exchange student in Germany in high school and at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland during her undergraduate program. 

She has a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs and has spent most of her educational and professional career focused in the international education field. She is passionate about cultural exchange and looks forward to supporting and encouraging students coming to the U.S. as well as learning from their diverse perspectives. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, camping, kayaking, playing board games, going to concerts, and spending time outdoors with her husband and dogs, Liebe and Chip.

Mary Beth Moyer joined the Global UGRAD team in September 2023 and has worked for World Learning in various capacities since 2016, including spending the past two years as a Program Officer on the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP). She fell in love with international education and exchange as a participant on youth exchange programs and the humbling feeling of having to learn about a new place. While studying International Relations in college, she studied abroad in Senegal, a place she would return to in 2019 to teach English Literature. 

In 2015 she began her M.A. in Peace Building and Conflict Transformation at SIT Graduate Institute. Her graduate studies included an internship at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia and presenting her capstone research in 2018 about 16-18 year-olds and the United States’ War on Terror. She has worked with students from all over the world including Iraq, Senegal, Spain, and Ireland.

Cameron Teaney joined World Learning in March 2022. After receiving a bachelor's degree in international relations from Samford University, Cameron worked as a teacher at an international school in Turkey. Her time and experiences there cultivated a desire to work in an international setting. Upon moving back to the United States, she wanted to explore opportunities in such a setting outside of teaching, which ultimately led her to World Learning!

Asher Price is a senior program associate on the Global UGRAD team at World Learning. In this role, he helps plan and implement events and workshops for the Global UGRAD program. He previously served as a program associate on the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) team for one year, and then as a senior program associate on the Alumni Thematic International Exchange Seminar (Alumni TIES) team at World Learning. Prior to his time at World Learning, he worked as an assistant at the National Center for Health Research in Washington, DC where he oversaw office operations, assisted staff with health research, and monitored emerging public health news. 

Originally from Houston, Texas, he received his bachelor’s degree in nutrition science and public policy from the George Washington University in Washington, DC. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree in food studies at New York University.

Mason Doyle is the Global UGRAD Senior Program Associate for the regions of Sub-Saharan Africa and South and Central Asia, as well as the Fulbright Commissions in Southeast Asia. He joined World Learning in April 2022. Originally from Asheville, North Carolina, Mason graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and global studies. 

Mason always looks forward to engaging with inspirational Global UGRAD students from around the world. Outside of work, he enjoys writing, hiking, trivia, playing the trombone, and trying new foods. 

Natalie Pearl Jordan is a program associate on the Global UGRAD team, working with students from East Asia and the Pacific. Based in Sunny Washington DC, she completed her undergraduate studies at The George Washington University, where she grew her curiosity for international development, anthropology, and geography. Natalie's professional interests revolve around advocating and empowering under-represented communities and causes, and promoting education as a tool for international development. Outside the office, she is a competitive Mah Jongg player, an amateur interior designer, and big into true crime/mystery podcasts.

Viaxaly Ayon Heredia recently joined the Global UGRAD team in July 2023 as the Program Associate for the Europe and Eurasia regions. She graduated from American University’s School of International Service where she focused her studies on migration and peace and conflict resolution. Her experiences growing up in a bi-national environment and being an exchange student in South Africa, Germany, and Italy sparked Viaxaly’s desire to promote cultural understanding and provide students with an opportunity to build relationships across the globe.

Bilal Elmasry joined the World Learning team as a program associate in August 2024. He was born in Alexandria, Egypt where he spent much of his childhood before moving to the Washington, DC area. Bilal graduated with a B.A. from the University of Maryland – College Park in May 2023 with a major in international relations. His interests include reading, writing short stories, and collecting different currencies from around the world.