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  • Sara Hubbard

    Aug 22, 2025 9:30 am |  1 View

    Sara Hubbard is excited to be joining the SAAO team as a records advisor. Sara is originally from the St. Louis area but has called Champaign-Urbana home for 11 years. She majored in English at Webster University in St. Louis and worked in secondary education and undergraduate admissions prior to joining LAS. She is passionate about helping students achieve success, and working with students is the aspect of being a records advisor that excites her the most. In her free time, Sara loves traveling, reading, listening to podcasts, and spending time with her husband and three sons.

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  • Kristy Krisher

    Aug 19, 2025 3:45 pm |  1 View

    Kristy Krisher is the Assistant Director for Employer Connections in career services. She comes from a similar role at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. Prior to her work in career services, she spent the first part of her career in human resources. She is a proud 2x graduate from the University of Illinois system with her MPA from the University of Illinois in Springfield and her EdD from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She has her undergraduate degree in psychology from Alfred University in Alfred, New York. She is an avid traveler and a fiction author in her free time. 

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  • Alexandro Venegas

    Jul 22, 2025 1:15 pm |  2  Views

    Hi, I’m Alexandro! Originally from the Chicagoland area, I’m new to UIUC and excited to be part of the LAS community. I earned my Master’s in Higher Education Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University and am passionate about helping students find their path, feel supported, and succeed. I believe in meeting students where they are and guiding them forward with care and confidence. Outside of work, I enjoy anime, collecting trading cards, and spending time with my dog, Blu. I also love thinking about future travels. Japan and China are at the top of my list. Feel free to stop by, I’m always happy to chat!

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  • Cheryl Marcelo

    Jul 16, 2025 4:30 pm |  7  Views

    Cheryl joins LAS International Programs from nearly a decade of directing international programs at Austin College in Sherman, Texas. As a 1.5-generation immigrant from the Philippines and a first-generation college graduate, Cheryl’s work is rooted in diasporic decolonization and social justice, with which she strives to lead students in becoming responsible actors in local and global affairs. She also aims to cultivate global programming that expands access to all students, particularly underserved populations. Cheryl received her bachelor’s degree from Temple University, where she participated in a semester exchange at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. She then later obtained her Master’s of Education degree in Higher Education from the University of Houston. In her spare time, Cheryl is a doting dog mom to her spoiled furbaby Kamja (“potato” in Korean) and is also an enthusiastic explorer of diverse cuisines wherever she goes.

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  • Bailey Lehmann

    May 20, 2025 9:15 am |  7  Views

    Bailey Lehmann, a proud Southern Illinois native, is currently an AAP advisor within LAS. She holds a bachelor’s in Interdisciplinary Studies and a master’s in Educational Leadership, both from Mississippi State University. During her undergraduate years, Bailey worked as a peer mentor for freshman students, an experience that sparked her passion for guiding others and deepened her love for working in Higher Education. Outside of work, Bailey enjoys long walks, reading, playing card games with her family, and exploring her creative side.

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  • Rachael Dean

    May 19, 2025 1:00 pm |  7  Views

    Rachael joined LAS International Programs in May 2025 as an Academic Program Coordinator and had been previously working with Illinois International as the Coordinator for International Safety and Security from March 2019. She is passionate about student exploration and wellness! Rachael spent time living, traveling, and studying abroad in Europe, South America, and Asia and holds a special place in her heart for Japan where she lived for seven years. She is currently keeping busy with her never-ending house and garden projects and spending time with her girls (dog & cat) and family.

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  • Steph Lepak

    May 12, 2025 11:00 am |  24  Views

    Stephanie Lepak is an Academic Program Coordinator in the LAS International Programs Office at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A proud first-generation college graduate, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Global Studies and Spanish from the university, with a concentration in Environment, Sustainability, and Social Responsibility. Her passion for international education was sparked by transformative study abroad experiences in Spain and Italy, where she worked on sustainable tourism initiatives and gained hands-on experience in biological agriculture at a cooperative farm.

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  • Julien Berthelon

    Apr 21, 2025 1:15 pm |  58  Views

    Julien Berthelon, Ph.D., is originally from Mâcon, in the Burgundy region of France. After graduating from the Université de Bourgogne in Dijon, he began teaching French at Clark University in 2012, and two years later served as a French Instructor and co-director of the French House at Macalester College. In 2015, he came to the University of Illinois to pursue an MA in French Studies, followed by a Ph.D., which he completed in August 2024. His doctoral research focused on representations of masculine insecurities in 19th- and 20th-century French literature as well as early French cinema.

    Over the course of nearly ten years at UIUC, Julien has taught a wide range of courses in the Department of French and Italian and has been actively involved in various cultural initiatives on campus. Among other projects, he co-directed the French Ciné-club and collaborated for several years on the Digital Edition of the Correspondence of Marcel Proust with the Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

    He is excited to continue supporting LAS’s mission of fostering intercultural engagement and meaningful connections.

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  • Ellen Elghammer

    Mar 12, 2025 10:15 am |  22  Views

    My name is Ellen and I have lived in Central Illinois my whole life, and I am a proud UIUC two time graduate! I studied Social Work for my undergrad and graduate degrees and worked in case management and counseling to start my career. I transitioned to working in higher education in 2021, starting at Parkland College as an Admissions Advisor. After 3.5 years, I decided to make the transition across town, and I now work as the Coordinator of Recruitment of Admissions at LAS. I love working with students and helping them through their academic journey, and I especially love working with underrepresented populations and nontraditional students.   When I’m not working, I am usually outside walking, feeding the local geese (food that’s healthy for them, not bread!), hanging out with my two cats, or reading. 

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  • Ryan Howard

    Mar 10, 2025 2:45 pm |  6  Views

    Ryan Howard is the Assistant Director, Recruitment & Admissions. He has a B.A. in Interpersonal Communication and an M.A. in Human Communication Processes – Pedagogy. Ryan has a background in teaching Communication Studies courses such as Public Speaking, Interpersonal, and Intercultural. He also has a background of working in admissions and recruitment. Outside of work, he loves being a dad to two awesome kiddos, Josie and Maverick. He also enjoys exercising, coaching sports, and playing hockey in his free time. Ryan is a very friendly and outgoing person, willing to assist anyone in need, and always happy to help!

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