Ecuador Bound!

Greetings family and friends!  We are very busy getting ready for our trip to Ecuador which is only a few short weeks away!  As we move forward with our planning process we wanted to put together this blog so that you can stay up to date with the adventures of the UW-Whitewater Student Optimist Club!  Students will be encouraged to write blog entries sharing their experiences in Ecuador and record video blogs to show everyone back in the states what they've been learning.  Check back regularly to see what we're up to or sign up on our mailing list!  

Our itinerary is almost finalized and already includes; working on an Organic Farm, visiting the award winning Yachana lodge, attending a folkloric ballet, working with schools & orphanages and watching a surfing competition! Stay tuned for the finalized itinerary!

In the meantime, take a second and meet our travelers!  

Kim Adams is the Assistant Director of the James R. Connor University Center (UC) at UW-Whitewater.  She has worked at the UC for 23 years and has served as the faculty advisor of the UW-Whitewater Student Optimist Club for 17 years.  She is also a charter member of the UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club and has served in various leadership positions for the club as well as for the Southern Wisconsin District of Optimist International.  She has been involved in planning and implementing 8 mission trips for the UW-W Student Optimist Club.  Other passions include cheering on the UW-W Warhawks and various Wisconsin sports teams, waterskiing and teaching young and “older” how to ski, music and theatre, gardening, traveling, photography, neighborhood activities, and spending time with family.  Kim enjoys getting to know others from various backgrounds and considers herself a life-long learner.

Sarah Seitz

My name is Sarah Seitz and I have been working at UW-Whitewater as an Academic Advisor since June 2007. I completed my bachelor’s degree at UW-La Crosse with majors in Spanish and Psychology, and a master’s degree in College Student Development & Administration, also from UW-La Crosse. I consider my study abroad experience, where I spent a semester in Spain, to be one of the best decisions I made while in college. I spend a great amount of time persuading students at Whitewater to follow in my footsteps and experience a different culture!  I got involved with the Student Optimist Club a few years ago and admire their dedication to service and youth. I was the faculty advisor to two service learning trips to Belize in 2009 and 2011, and now have the opportunity to travel to Ecuador for an eco-tourism adventure! 

Kat Shanahan

My name is Kat Shanahan and I am the Promotions Coordinator for the University Center at UW-Whitewater.  I graduated from UW-Whitewater with degrees in Multimedia Digital Arts and Advertising and hope to begin my Masters Degree in Integrated Marketing Communications in May of 2012.  I love taking photos and am very excited to be the official trip photographer.  I recently completed a "365" project where I took and posted a photo everyday for a year.  I am also very interested in media and sharing experiences, so be on the look out for video blogs and writings from the students while on their trip.  I am extremely excited to be traveling to Ecuador and seeing and experiencing all that I can!

Angie Alesci

Buen día!  Me nombre es Angela.  Good day!  My name is Angie.  I am one the Ecuador travelers.  Among my favorite things to do is traveling.  One of my travel goals was to visit our fifty United States before my 40^th birthday.  With Alaska to go, I hit my goal in summer 2001.  Currently I work as a Hospice Chaplain for the Aurora Visiting Nurse Association.  I never come home the way I left – each day I am changed.  In my free time I enjoy gardening, cooking, movies, coffee or dinner with friends and pajama days!

Bill Johnson retired in 2006 after 17 years as a Lecturer in Communications at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.  He also taught for nine years at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, and before that at California State University in Fresno.  In an earlier life Bill was a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia (1963-65).  Since 1984 he has conducted travel-study and study abroad courses in Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru. He was a Fullbright Scholar in Peru in 1989 and Brazil in 1995.  For more than 20 years Bill has conducted workshops in TV news and documentaries throughout the Americas and Spain.

For the past seven years Bill has been working with the Centro de Estudios Interamericanos (CEDEI) in Cuenca, Ecuador, teaching communication courses to UW-W and other North American university students who have participated in the UW-W/CEDEI Fall Semester in the Andes program.  Bill is looking forward to returning to Ecuador in January.  The UW-Whitewater Student Optimists' trip to Ecuador is an opportunity for even more UW-Whitewater students to experience the charm and diversity of a unique country.

Elizabeth Bengtson is a junior at The University of Wisconsin Whitewater.  She is from Lake Villa, Illinois and she graduated from Grant Community High school of Fox Lake in 2009.  At Whitewater, Elizabeth is studying Biology with a Chemistry and Spanish minor. Her goal is to go to dental school after graduating from UW-Whitewater.

Elizabeth is the president of the UWW Student Optimist Club this Fall. Besides being involved in the Optimist club, She is part of the Tri-Beta Biology Club and the Pre-Health Associates of Today Club.  She also works on campus, at the Irvin L. Young Auditorium. 

Elizabeth is looking forward to the service-learning trip to Ecuador because she has always wanted to do a travel study of some kind and she will be able to receive college credit for the trip.  As a Spanish minor, Elizabeth is excited to be in a Spanish speaking country for two weeks.

Laura Schoenike is currently a freshman at UW-Whitewater where she is majoring in Business and Marketing Education and minoring in dance. Her involvement at UW-W includes “Wisconsin’s Finest” Color Guard, Phi Beta Lambda, and Dance Company in addition to the Student Optimist Club.

As a newcomer to the group, Schoenike says her involvement thus far has been “a blur of excitement” and that “it is refreshing to see how many kind-hearted, benevolent individuals there are in the world searching to make tomorrow better than today.” Schoenike considers herself incredibly fortunate to be a part of such a passionate organization, and is looking forward to the upcoming Ecuador adventure. “I’m unbelievably excited to travel with the group.  Community service has always been an important part of my life, and I can’t wait to spread my optimism and enthusiasm for service to Ecuador!” 

Jean Molinaro is a junior currently attending the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She is from Racine Wi, and attended J.I. Case High School, and was a part of the graduating class of 2009. Jean’s major at the University is Elementary Education with a minor in Spanish. She has been very involved in Residence Life on campus.  Previously, Jean was a part of the Leadership Involvement Team (L.I.T) and was a Resident Assistant (R.A.). Currently, she is a Desk Worker in a Residence Hall on campus and is involved in Student Wisconsin Education Association (S.W.E.A.). 

Jean enjoys being a part of the Student Optimist Club. "Being able to give back to her community", she says, "is important and that is what the club is about". Jean is beyond excited to attend the trip to Ecuador! For her, the trip is going to be a life changing experience. Jean anticipates being able to work with the students in the school system in Ecuador, and even in the orphanages. Working on organic farms will be another beneficial experience for her. Not knowing much about farming will prove to be a good learning curve for her. Adios! 

Kasie Duffy is currently a Junior at UW-Whitewater where she is majoring in Early Childhood Education and Special Ed. Her involvements on campus include the National Student Leadership Society and the Student Optimist Club.

Kasie is a new member of the group and is excited to be going on the trip. She is most looking forward to “volunteering at the orphanage and doing projects with the kids at the schools.” The group will be doing a number of volunteering activities along with a few things just for fun.  She is also doing an independent study while abroad earning three spanish credits.  

Michiko Ellen Gustafson is a Freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She is major in Political Science and has joined the UWW Student Optimist Club. With the Student Optimist Club she is traveling to Ecuador for two weeks to see the country, experience the culture and help out with local organizations. She is very excited to go to Ecuador so that she can experience the different culture and give back to the community there. 

Annie Henkle is from Port Washington, WI and is currently a Sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She is a English writing major with a minor in Advertising. This upcoming January, she is most fortunate to be traveling with a group of students and advisers to Ecuador for two weeks. The group she is going with is the Whitewater Student Optimist Club, which works with children and sponsors community service events. 

After all her fundraising efforts with her peers this semester, Annie is most looking forward to traveling abroad for the first time and getting to experience a new culture. Some of the things the club will be doing in Ecuador are working on an organic farm, attending a surf competition and exploring the rainforests. 

Kurstin Mazzoni is nineteen years old, and from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She graduated from South Milwaukee High School in 2010. She is currently a sophomore at UW-Whitewater. Kurstin is a Social Work major, with a double minor in Spanish and International Studies. She has been involved with SWSO (Student Social Work Organization), ULead, and was involved with and attended the Civil Rights Trip last spring. 

She is currently a member of the UW-Whitewater Student Optimist Club, and has been volunteering through Hire an Optimist, the Blood Drive, and working with the Residence Hall Association to help fundraise for the Service Learning Trip to Ecuador.
“This will be my first time abroad and I’m so excited to see Ecuador, make a difference, and improve my Spanish!” –Kurstin Mazzoni

Ain Sanchez is a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He is currently persuing a major in Economics and a minor in International Business. Ain is also an international student from Ecuador and he has been organizing this mission trip to Ecuador with the Optimist Club since January, 2011. The motivation for Ain to work on this trip, came from the idea that students at the university should be exposed to a different culture, lifestyle and way of thinking. Through this process, Ain feels very passionate about sharing his experiences as an Ecuadorian Youth Ambassador and an active member of Fudela, which is the organization that is hosting the mission trip in Ecuador. For the most part, Ain has been supporting the mission trip by recruiting students in the residence halls, attending several meetings with the Optimist Club advisers and Fudela representatives, and preparing an orientation to his fellow students at UW-Whitewater. He also had the opportunity to present in the Optimist Swiss-District conference, The UW-Whitewater Residence Hall Association and the Community Optimist Club Board to request funds for the trip. Finally, he has participated in several fundraiser events such as a Pizza Hut night, ecuadorian crafts sale and a Hire an Optimist event. Ain's early commitment to this trip and the constant hard work of many other trip members have allowed this mission trip to to become a reality. Ain is expecting the trip members to have a life changing experience that they will take with them for the rest of their lives. Likewise, he believes that this is a unique opportunity where he can blend his current college life in the United States with his life back in Ecuador. Finally, Ain hopes that many other trips like this will be created by the university to create broader perspectives for students during their college lives.