Asia
CET Beijing
Zhu Li
CET Beijing
Director of China Programs
Before serving as Director of China Programs, Zhu Li served as Academic Director at CET Beijing for almost 15 years. She has also served as Chinese instructor at Middlebury College, Capital Normal University in Beijing and Hochschule Bremen University in Germany, and has taught all levels and aspects of Chinese language. She has earned certification in the areas of Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) testing, the development of multimedia teaching materials, and the conducting of Oral Proficiency Interviews. The author of numerous publications and the recipient of many teaching awards, Zhu Li brings to the program superior teaching skills and intimate familiarity with CET and the field of Chinese language teaching, and has trained countless Chinese language teachers over the years.
Liang Xia
CET Beijing
Summer Academic Director
Professor Xia comes to CET from Washington University in St. Louis, where she served as both a professor and the director of the Chinese language program. She not only reshaped the university’s Chinese program, but also published a series of textbooks and research papers. Her other experiences cross the globe and include the College of William and Mary, Beijing Normal University, Princeton in Beijing, Middlebury Summer Chinese School, and even Duke in China’s Intensive Summer Language Program—where she served as director for five years. In 2019, Professor Xia will publish an advanced Chinese class teaching demonstration video and her academic work, 美国大学中文教育研究.
CET Harbin
Ren Shujing
CET Harbin
Academic Director
Ren Shujing received her BA in English from Dalian College of Foreign Languages in 1990. She started teaching Chinese at the Harbin Institute of Technology and CET Harbin in 1996. During her tenure at CET, she has taught all courses, arranged one-on-one tutorials, trained teachers of all levels, and created and managed curricular materials. She is also the editor of Chinese language teaching materials produced for the Singapore College of Art and Literature.
CET Kunming
Liu Fang
CET Kunming
Academic Director
Liu Fang oversees the summer program in Kunming. She comes to CET from Oberlin College, where she has served as a Chinese instructor since 2000. She has taught all levels of Chinese at many schools and programs, including the Middlebury Summer School, Boston College, and the University of Vermont. She has presented papers at numerous conferences and is currently working on a Chinese language teachers’ reference book.
Li Qunhu
CET Kunming
Academic Director, Summer 2019
With a BA in Chinese from Tianjin Normal University and an MA in Chinese Linguistics (People’s University), Li Qunhu’s passion for Chinese language has seen him through more than three decades of teaching Chinese as a foreign language. Though his resume is vast and varied, some highlights include his ten years at Middlebury College’s Chinese school, various leadership and teacher training positions at the Associated Colleges in China (ACC) in Beijing, and teaching positions at Princeton in Beijing and Williams College. He also founded the New Century Language and Culture Center in Tianjin in 2001. Li Laoshi believes his own ongoing personal and professional development as an educator is essential to program development, and strives to keep up with the latest teaching trends in both China and the United States.
Li Li
CET Kunming
Office Coordinator
A native of Kunming, Li Li received her BA in Japanese Language & Literature from Yunnan University. She began working as the Program Assistant for the Middlebury School in China in Kunming in 2010. Li Li assists students with visa issues, organizes activities, and coordinates the Chinese roommate program. Li Li is a lover of Yunnan cuisine. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and playing badminton.
CET Shanghai
Allison Rottmann, Ph.D
CET Shanghai
Academic Director
Allison Rottmann is a historian of modern China, with a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley (2007) and a law degree from Duke University School of Law (JD, 1988). She first discovered her passion for China as an undergraduate studying international affairs at George Washington University (BA, 1984). For the past ten years, she has directed and taught in study abroad programs in Shanghai. Her teaching and research interests in Chinese history are centered on Shanghai, gender, and revolution.
Qu Zheng
CET Shanghai
Academic Director
Qu Zheng graduated from Beijing Normal University where she received her MA in Applied Linguistics and BA in History, with a minor in Chinese Language and Literature. She lectured in the Department of East Asian Studies at Princeton University from 2007 to 2011. She has served as lead instructor at several summer language programs including Princeton in Beijing (PIB) and CET Hangzhou. She has also served as a contributing editor for university-level Chinese textbooks published and adopted by Princeton University. She has taught a wide variety of Chinese classes from beginning to advanced level. Qu Zheng joined CET Shanghai in 2012.
Jeremy Friedlein
CET Shanghai
Program Development Specialist
Jeremy is a specialist in program management, student management, out-of-classroom learning and student internship programs. He has lived in China since 1995, started working for CET in 1999, and now travels the globe in support of CET initiatives. Jeremy has served as a resident director at three CET programs–C.V. Starr-Middlebury School in China, Hangzhou Summer Immersion and Intensive Chinese Language in Beijing, and has been instrumental in the founding of new programs including CET Shanghai in 2008 and CET Taiwan in 2015. When not travelling for work, Jeremy can be found in Shanghai hard at work on his Chinese language studies. Jeremy holds a BA in China Studies from North Carolina State University.
Jenny He
CET Shanghai
Internship Program Manager
Jenny, a Shanghai native, graduated from Shanghai International Studies University in 2011 with a degree in English. She served 3 years at PCHome.com as a Manager’s Assistant and 1 year at JD.com as a Team Manager, and this fast-paced private-sector experience gave Jenny an uncanny knack for finding unique new internships. Jenny also loves teaching children and cooking Shanghainese cuisine.
Zhang Xinjun
CET Shanghai
Office Manager
Zhang Xinjun graduated from Shanghai Normal University with a BA degree in Event Economy & Management. Xinjun enjoys traveling and before joining CET, worked within the field of tourism. Xinjun loves helping CET students assimilate into local life and enjoy their time in China.
CHina Fieldwork Semester
CET Taiwan
Chunling Wang
CET Taiwan
Internships Director & Office Manager
Chunling completed her undergraduate studies in English Literature at National Taiwan University in 2004 and got an MA in the same discipline at National Sun Yat-sen University in 2008. She then went on to work as a research assistant on a wide variety of government-funded education, literature and the humanities projects at both her alma maters and at National Cheng Kung University. Chunling has a special affinity for Shakespeare and has worked for three different organizations dedicated to the study of his work! While no stranger to the big city and an expert on all things National Taiwan University, Chunling was born and raised in rural southern Taiwan and loves to introduce foreign students to the unique language, culture, and geography of this region.
CET Japan
Masatomo Yonezu
CET Japan
Senior Resident Director
Masatomo Yonezu studied both Swahili and East African culture, completing an BA at Osaka University of Foreign Studies in 2007 and an MA in International Studies at Hiroshima City University Graduate School in 2009. He then relocated to the United States to pursue a degree in ethnomusicology at Indiana University Bloomington. He has conducted ethnographic research in Tanzania, focusing on institutionalization of traditional music. Prior to joining CET, Masa served as an assistant Japanese language instructor for beginning through advanced levels, and led study abroad programs for Indiana University high school students.
Europe
CET Prague
Jiří Bukovinský
Prague Programs
Director of Prague Programs
Jiří is a graduate of Charles University in Prague, where he studied Religious Studies and Pedagogy. He also studied in Scotland, at the Divinity Faculty of the University of Glasgow. Jiří has organized programs for international volunteers and coordinated conferences for human rights organizations. Relying on this experience, he has enhanced the service-learning opportunities for CET Prague students, and specifically Central European Studies concentrators.
Kevin Johnson, Ph.D
Prague Programs
Academic Director of Prague Programs
Kevin was bitten by the study abroad bug when he spent two months in Germany at the age of 17 as part of an immersive language program for Indiana high school students. He went on to participate in a number of other study abroad programs in Germany and the Czech Republic, including a year as Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Leipzig and several intensive Czech language programs. With a BA in German and Anthropology from Indiana University and an MA and PhD in Germanics from the University of Washington (with an emphasis on cinema), he speaks German and Czech fluently. Kevin has extensive teaching experience at a variety of institutions in both the USA and in Prague, including the University of Washington, Lawrence University, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, and Charles University. Prague has been a consistent port of call since 2000 and his permanent residence since 2015. Before starting at CET, he taught courses on Prague literature and film studies at Anglo-American University in Prague and for several study abroad programs in the city.
Martina Tomanová
CET Prague
Senior Resident Director, CET Prague
Martina is a graduate of Palacký University (BA, 2008; MA, 2011) and Caritas College (DiS, 2011) in Olomouc where she earned her degrees in History, Jewish Studies, and Social Work and Humanitarian Aid. Before her current position, Martina worked first in a Czech NGO focused on helping disadvantaged kids and their families and then in the Department of Health & Social services. Martina, a lover of all things travel, was a student on the CET Prague program before joining the staff in 2018.
CET florence
Emiliana Caldarelli
CET Florence
Director of Italy Programs
A native Italian, Emiliana earned a Laurea in Political Science in 1996 and a Post Graduate Master in Mediterranean Studies and Islamic Finance in 2013 from the University of Florence. In 1994, during her graduate studies, she was awarded a scholarship from Rutgers University in New Jersey where she conducted a research study about the financing of political campaigns. After returning to Italy, her work has focused on educating American students in Italy. She served as coordinator for the Rutgers Study Abroad Program in Florence, and from 1997 until 2002, taught classes on Italian culture, politics and history in US university programs in Florence such as Rutgers Junior Year in Florence, Richmond College, Portland Community College and University of San Diego-Law School. Emiliana has been involved with the CET programs in Italy since their inception. She began as the CET Siena Resident Director (2001-2003), continued as the CET Florence Resident Director (2003-2004), and has served as Italy Programs Director since 2004.
Elizabeth Johnson
CET Florence
Resident Director
Born in France where she spent her first few years, Elizabeth grew up in San Gimignano, the renowned Italian Medieval hill-town, and moved to Long Island NY at age 17. She earned a BA in Psychology with a French minor at Hofstra University before returning to Paris for her MA in French Literature at New York University in France. As a graduate student, she worked part-time in the NYU’s main office, which turned into a full-time position upon completion of the program. But her heart was in the Tuscan hills where she has been residing again since 1997, continuing her study abroad career at SACI Studio Arts College International in Florence for over 20 years before starting at CET. Elizabeth likes to share her passion for Italian culture with students, but is also aware and understanding of the difficulties they often face in a foreign country. Her largest accomplishment is hearing alumni speak about study abroad as a life-changing experience.
Donatella Cerretelli
CET Florence
Housing Coordinator
Born and raised in Florence, Donatella earned her high school degree in Languages and Tourism. After completing her degree, she spent two summers in Philadelphia, where she studied and worked in a multicultural environment. After working in several different fields, Donatella joined the fashion industry, working with customers from around the world for several years. She then transitioned to the study abroad field in 2014, when she started as Librarian and Housing Assistant at SACI Studio Arts College International, a study abroad program in Florence. Donatella finds great satisfaction in assisting students with the challenges of living away from home.
Margarita Degurko
CET Florence
Program Assistant
Margarita, a native Ukrainian, graduated from Zaporizhzhya National University in 2014 with a degree in Law and a Master’s in International Public Law from the Kyiv National Academy of Internal Affairs in Ukraine in 2016. She also studied Political Science in Italy at the University of Florence. She became interested in living in Italy when she began to study Italian language and culture. As a travel and language lover, she worked in the field of tourism. Margarita is eager to utilize her passion for Italy to help provide the best possible experience for students.
Shauna Kavanaugh
CET Florence
Senior Program Coordinator
Born in London, Shauna graduated from the University of York in 2016 with a degree in English Literature. She always loved Italian history and culture, so she was eager to find any way she could to spend time in Italy on a student budget. During her first summer of college, Shauna moved to Italy for four months to live with an Italian family near Bologna and work as a live-in au pair to their three small children. She ended up returning to Italy to work for the same family every summer. Upon graduating, Shauna finally built up the courage (and savings) to make the inevitable move to Florence, which had always been her favorite Italian city. Shauna’s first job in Florence was working with study abroad students. She quickly learned that she enjoyed showing them all the things that she loved about Italy, hence she decided to embark on a career in the field of study abroad.
Gabriele Marchese
CET Florence
Program Assistant
Gabriele was born in Florence. He graduated in 2019 with a degree in Administration, Finance and Marketing. He is a native English speaker, having spent his summers in California where his mother was born and his love for the United States is rooted. During those extended visits, Gabriele learned about American culture, especially individual and group sports. In 2020, he pursued and completed in-depth tourism courses in Florence to broaden his knowledge of Italian art, culture and history, and became a licensed tour leader. In 2021, he worked in an Italian resort where he hosted many tourists and taught individual and group tennis lessons for children and adults. Gabriele enjoys welcoming American students to Italy by orienting them to life in Italy and accompanying them on excursions during their stay in Florence.
Melissa Rossi
CET Florence
Academic Coordinator
Melissa is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz, where she earned a BA in Literature with a minor in Education. She then continued her studies to earn a MS in Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University. She came to Italy from her native California in the early 90s as an undergraduate study abroad student and found that her life choices continued to bring her back to Florence. Since the late 90s, she has worked extensively in all sectors of study abroad, from academics to student life, and as a professional counselor assisting students with their cultural adjustment. Her personal, educational, and professional background give her a keen insight into the experience abroad that is at the foundation of her learning methodology. Study abroad has become a passion for her, and her goal is to use the deep cultural experience a primary element of learning, both inside and outside the classroom.
CET Siena
Emiliana Caldarelli
CET Florence
Director of Italy Programs
A native Italian, Emiliana earned a Laurea in Political Science in 1996 and a Post Graduate Master in Mediterranean Studies and Islamic Finance in 2013 from the University of Florence. In 1994, during her graduate studies, she was awarded a scholarship from Rutgers University in New Jersey where she conducted a research study about the financing of political campaigns. After returning to Italy, her work has focused on educating American students in Italy. She served as coordinator for the Rutgers Study Abroad Program in Florence, and from 1997 until 2002, taught classes on Italian culture, politics and history in US university programs in Florence such as Rutgers Junior Year in Florence, Richmond College, Portland Community College and University of San Diego-Law School. Emiliana has been involved with the CET programs in Italy since their inception. She began as the CET Siena Resident Director (2001-2003), continued as the CET Florence Resident Director (2003-2004), and has served as Italy Programs Director since 2004.
Victoria Van Luit
CET Siena
Program Director
Victoria grew up in California and studied at the University of California San Diego. In 1998, she participated in a UCSD study abroad program in Siena, an experience that changed her life. Victoria has been in Siena ever since, marrying her Italian husband and raising their two daughters, and working in study abroad. She has worked at the UC Siena Study Abroad Center and Dante Alighieri Siena. Victoria has a keen understanding of student cultural adjustment and other issues related to living abroad.
Matilde Santini
CET Siena
Program Coordinator
Born and raised in Siena’s Torre Contrada, Matilde started working in the study abroad field with another provider in Siena in 2016 before joining CET. She is working towards a degree in Cultural Mediation at the University for Foreigners of Siena. In her free time, Matilde enjoys traveling, learning about other cultures, listening to music, and practicing hobbies that require creativity and craft skills, especially when maintaining traditions, as happens in Siena’s Contrade where craftsmanship is handed down from generation to generation.
The Middle East
CET Jordan
Manal Yosef
CET Jordan
Academic Director
With two decades of experience teaching Arabic under her belt, Manal Yosef earned her Master’s degree in Arabic Language and Literature in 2020. Before joining CET in 2011, she served as Academic Director and Senior Instructor for the Arabic Flagship Overseas program and Senior Instructor, Course Coordinator and Curriculum Developer for the Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) program in Damascus. Manal is a certified ACFTL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) tester. As Academic Director, Manal manages all issues related to curricula, including developing syllabi, overseeing language instruction, training instructors, and advising students.
Mazen Bernieh
CET Jordan
Resident Director, Logistics
Mazen’s interest in international education began in 2008 when he began working as a coordinator for the Arabic Overseas Flagship program at the University of Damascus. He quickly realized his passion for helping foreign students adapt to life in the Middle East. While overseeing the Flagship program, Mazen also served as an administrative coordinator for the Center for Arabic Studies Abroad (CASA) program in Damascus. Relying on this experience, Mazen now helps CET students adjust to their host culture in Jordan. Mazen administers all non-academic aspects of the program. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, learning about other cultures, reading, football and the occasional sheesha.
Ahmad AbuShaikha
CET Jordan
Resident Director, Student Life
Ahmad is a proud Ammani who has been in the study abroad field for the past 10 years. After graduating from The Hashemite University with a BS in Cultural Heritage Management (2007), he turned his focus to sharing the jewels of Jordan with students. Ahmad completed an MA in International Development at the University of Sussex (2018) in the United Kingdom and is committed to creating sustainable opportunities for community engagement with students. In his free time, Ahmad enjoys cooking, traveling, and music.
Latin America
CET Brazil
Súlia Folli
CET Brazil
Resident Director
Súlia Folli earned her BA degree in Film from Universidad del Cine (in Buenos Aires, Argentina) and a certificate of Photography from Escuela Creativa Andy Goldstein. As a undergraduate, she studied abroad in Vancouver, Canada. Before joining CET, Súlia served as the Program & Housing Coordinator for CIEE in São Paulo. She has participated in productions for various film festivals and cultural organizations, and enjoys developing her own photography projects. Súlia loves to travel and learn about different cultures, and she enjoys helping CET students get to know São Paulo.
Mariana Jansen Ferreira
CET Brazil
Academic Coordinator
Mariana Jansen Ferreira is an economist and holds a PhD in Public Health from the University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil. She has been professor of Brazilian economics at the Pontificia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP) since 2006. Between 2017 and 2019 she served as vice-coordinator of the Economics major. She is the co-creator of the new Public Policy major at PUC-SP, which she presently coordinates. Dr. Jansen has published articles and book chapters in the areas of public policy, Brazilian economy, and health economics. She has taught CET students since 2014.
CET Colombia
Mariela Palacios
CET Colombia
Director of Operations
A schoolteacher by vocation, Mariela holds undergraduate degrees in economics (Universidad de La Salle en Bogotá, 1998) and education (Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó “Diego Luis Córdoba” Quibdó, 1989). She has pursued graduate work at London Metropolitan University and is currently completing her thesis for an MA in Population Studies at Universidad Externado de Colombia Bogotá. Mariela has more than 20 years of experience working in the development of Afro-Colombian communities across the country, under the auspices of both government and international cooperation agencies. She has served in a variety of positions, from managing one of the biggest cultural festivals in Colombia to devising a job creation plan for 200 people in the city of Quibdó.
Cyntoya McCall
CET Colombia
Resident Director
Cyntoya, a native of Niles, MI, graduated from Michigan State University where she studied Spanish (Secondary Education) and Sociology (BA, 2012). She has since been active in education, teaching Spanish, mentoring students, and eventually moving to Colombia as a two-time recipient of the Fulbright ETA scholarship (2014, 2015). Most recently, Cyntoya lived and worked with Afro-Colombian communities in the department of Chocó. Over the years, she has developed a passion for empowering the lives of people from diverse communities of the African diaspora through language education, arts and music, and promoting awareness of Afro descendants in U.S. and Latin America.