Jennifer M. Valko (Director)
Jennifer was born in Germany and raised between Germany and the United States. She studied Spanish and Anthropology as an undergraduate and her passion for the Spanish-speaking world led her to live and travel in Argentina, Colombia, and Chile. When asked where she’s from she’ll usually say: “guess!” At ECU, she teaches a broad range of courses in language, literature, popular culture, and film. She’s passionate about travel, literature, music, and film.
Tricia M. Wilson-Okamura
Tricia was born in Hawai’i and spent her childhood and undergraduate years in Hawai’i and the Bay Area of California. For graduate study and research, she moved to increasingly colder climates, from Japan to Chicago to Minnesota, and she is very grateful to be living in sunny North Carolina now. She teaches Latin, ancient Greek, Classical Studies and Japanese, and loves mythology and epic poetry. Her hobbies are fishing and travel and she is currently learning Italian. She loves working with students in and out of the classroom, and is the faculty advisor for the Asian Students Association at ECU.
Jason Escobar (Resident Advisor)
Jason Escobar is the RA for the Global LLC in Gateway West. He’s a senior Computer Science major from Wallace, NC. Jason’s family is Honduran, and he speaks Spanish fluently. He’s the youngest of ten children and the first in his family to attend university. Jason plays the sousaphone as a section leader in the Marching Pirates. He’s a member of a virtual reality research lab on campus. Jason hopes to work as a software engineer or as a game developer. He loves music, video games, spending time with friends and family, late-night runs to Campus Calzones, and getting to know people.
Undergraduate Global Mentors, 2019-2020
Jasmine Cowan
Jasmine Cowan is a sophomore here at East Carolina University! She is from Raleigh, North Carolina and a former member of the Global LLC. Jasmine is a Nursing Intended major with hopes to one day become a Nurse Anesthetist. On campus she is the am rising secretary of ECU HOSA and she is a tutor at the Pirate Academic Success Center. Some of her hobbies include singing, dancing, playing with her dog Mila, and having fun with friends. She looks forward to mentoring the newest members of the Global LLC this Fall and making this year the best one yet!
Natalie Freeman
Natalie Freeman is a French and Political Science major from Hope Mills, North Carolina. She is a Francophile at heart and loves everything about the language and francophone culture. Natalie loves bowling and white water rafting in the mountains. This summer, she is going to study abroad in Strasbourg and La Rochelle, France and is excited to convince you to go abroad, too. Her future goal is to become an ambassador with the State Department and move abroad (hopefully to France). She’s also excited to prepare workshops and activities to help bring a piece of other cultures here to Greenville, North Carolina. This year, new Global Scholars will form relationships and connections that will benefit their time at ECU. Natalie is grateful to continue to interact with the Global LLC and its new members as a Global Mentor!
Kayla Weatherington
Kayla Weatherington is a sophomore here at East Carolina. She is from Charlotte, North Carolina and a former member of the Global LLC. Kayla loved her time in the GLLC so much that she has returned as a mentor to bring an even better experience to the group this year. She is an International Business major with a concentration in Asian Studies and hopes to work as an Ambassador in Asia one day. She this summer she studied abroad in Nagoya, Japan for 2 months and is excited to share her experience and hopefully aid in you completing a study abroad in your dream city! In her free time she dances (and aspires to join the ECU African dance team!) and plays soccer. Kayla is excited to meet and help each GLLC member and give them an unforgettable Freshman year!
Spring 2020 (mentors who just returned from fall 2019 study abroad programs)
Ella Dogbe-Tsogbe
Ella Dogbe-Tsogbe is returning mentor for the Global LLC. She is a junior majoring in Molecular & Cell Biology, Chemistry, and Hispanic Studies with the hopes of becoming a Physician with Doctors Without Borders. Ella is the Vice President of the Spanish Club, a member of AED: the pre-medical Honors Society as well as a graduate of the Chancellor’s Students Leadership Academy. Being a mentor has given her the opportunity to interact with students from different cultural backgrounds and most importantly, Ella enjoys being a role model for them and organizing fun workshops throughout the year. She looks forward to meeting future Global LLC mentees!
Emma La Rocca
Emma La Rocca is a second year student here at ECU. She is from Cary, North Carolina and is majoring in Anthropology with a minor in Business. She hopes to pursue an MBA in Project Management and use her Anthropology background to work on an international platform of Project Management. Emma just returned from her semester abroad this past fall in Italy and is looking into how she can go abroad again during her time in school. She hopes to convince you to do this amazing opportunity as well while at ECU. On campus, Emma is on the exec team of a non-profit called Musical Empowerment that matches college students with children in the Greenville community to provide free music lessons. Emma was a member of the Global LLC last school year and is excited to help the students this year learn about the amazing cultures around our world.
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