{"id":85,"date":"2024-04-05T15:23:11","date_gmt":"2024-04-05T19:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/?page_id=85"},"modified":"2025-01-14T15:40:42","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T20:40:42","slug":"our-staff","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Staff"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Professional Staff<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Augusto \u201cGus\u201d Pe\u00f1a <\/strong>(he\/him\/his<\/a>)
Director<\/em>
aepenaes@uncg.edu<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Augusto is a passionate advocate for all students and joined the staff at UNCG in 2015.   He has over twenty-one years of experience in the areas of college access, student organization advising, academic support, domestic and international undergraduate recruitment, student mentoring, retention initiatives, undergraduate teaching, student conduct processes, free speech policy, program assessment, multicultural leadership development, cultural programming, staff training, policy development, staff supervision and budget management. He is responsible for leading a team of dedicated professionals with the goal of advancing intercultural, intracultural, and cross cultural student competence and engagement at UNCG.  He advises several student clubs and serves on the Chancellor\u2019s Advisory Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusive Excellence and the Faculty Senate Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Augusto has taught courses on multicultural leadership and international service learning. His public service includes past membership on the State Superintendent\u2019s Graduation Taskforce of North Carolina\u2019s Department of Public Instruction. He served as chair of the Education Committee of Governor Bev Perdue\u2019s Advisory Council on Hispanic\/Latino Affairs. He is a co-author of Appalachian State University\u2019s Quality Enhancement Plan titled \u201cGlobal Learning: A World of Opportunity for Appalachian Students\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and Comparative Politics, and a Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration both from Appalachian State University.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Marisa G. Gonz\u00e1lez <\/strong>(she\/her\/ella)<\/a>
Assistant Director
mggonzal@uncg.edu<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schedule a meeting with me: calendly.com\/uncgmarisa<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marisa joined the OIE in December 2022. Her primary roles are Intergroup Dialogue and Latinx Student Engagement and Success. She will be working with Spartans & Dialogue and other intergroup dialogue initiatives. Marisa is an educator and community activista for first-generation students\u2019 access to higher education and retention. She collaborates year-long with CHANCE and the UNCG Latinx Admissions on diverse initiatives. Marisa also serves as an advisor for UNCG Association of Latinx Professionals of America (ALPFA), Ritmo Latino, and as co-chair of the UNCG ALIANZA Board. In 2018, Marisa was recognized as a Notable Latina of the Triad, and in 2021 as a LatinxED Fellow. Marisa is excited to connect and work with students to reach their full potential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marisa is a first-generation student and started at UNCG over a decade ago. A double alumna of UNC-Greensboro, in 2016, she received a Bachelor\u2019s in Spanish Education (K-12) and, in 2019, a Master\u2019s in Languages, Literatures, and Cultures \u2013 Spanish. Marisa has been an adjunct lecturer for the Residential College and is currently a third-year doctoral student in Educational Leadership & Cultural Foundations. Her research interests are around holistic and culturally affirming higher education spaces for Latinx student communities, engagement and belonging. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Sarah Yarbrough <\/strong>(she\/her\/hers)<\/a>
Assistant Director
SMYARBROUGH@uncg.edu<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah joined the OIE team in July 2024. In her role as Assistant Director, she oversees initiatives that promote understanding and support the well-being of LGBTQIA+ and Pan-Asian students and individuals. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies from East Carolina University and a Master of Arts in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Passionate about access to education, Sarah is dedicated to providing<\/a> learning experiences in areas such as sexuality and gender studies, intercultural competency, and fostering spaces for constructive dialogue. Prior to joining OIE, Sarah served as an instructor in UNCG\u2019s Communication Studies department, where she valued the opportunity to educate and support students as they transitioned to the next step of their academic journey.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah has developed a deep appreciation for UNCG and the city of Greensboro, becoming an outspoken advocate for Greensboro\u2019s populations who are disproportionately affected by insecure housing, transportation needs and lack of grief support. In her free time, Sarah enjoys cozy hobbies such as video games, reading, and expanding her Lego set collection. She spends most of her time with her cat, Fig, and binging reality TV.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Michaela Coleman<\/strong> (she\/her\/hers)<\/a>
Administrative Support Associate
<\/em>mrcoleman@uncg.edu<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michaela joined Intercultural Engagement in August 2021 as the Administrative Support Associate. Michaela has worked in higher education for over 8 years, including providing administrative support for the UNCG faculty senate, and working at her alma mater Guilford College as the Office Manager for Campus Life and Assistant to the Dean of Students. Michaela loves outdoor exploring, reading, yoga, and swimming. Michaela is pursuing her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She is thrilled to help with the powerful and essential work of OIE.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Graduate Assistants<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Cat Wright <\/strong>(she\/her\/hers)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graduate Assistant for Peer Education
cswright3@uncg.edu<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A first-generation student, Cat earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre with a minor in Education just down the road at Greensboro College. Cat is now pursuing a Master of Education, Student Affairs in Higher Education at UNCG. She has prior experience in peer mentorship, first year experience and orientation, and K-12 education. In her free time Cat enjoys seeing local theatre productions, getting little treats, and spending time with her two cats, Samantha and Zurg.  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Emanuel Hawthorne-Roman (he\/him\/his)
Graduate Assistant for Retention Partnerships <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ejhawthorne@uncg.edu<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After earning his Bachelor of Science in Strategic Marketing from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Emanuel is now returning to\u00a0pursue a Master of Business Administration Degree with a concentration in Marketing. Before joining the OIE Office, Emanuel served as a Resident Advisor for two years and worked as an Athletics Marketing Intern for the UNCG Basketball teams. In his free time, Emanuel enjoys watching old movies, bingeing TV shows, and following everything basketball.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Kayce Meuse<\/strong> (she\/her\/hers<\/a>)
Graduate Assistant for the Intercultural Leadership Council
kameuse@uncg.edu<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey y\u2019all! My name is Kayce Meuse, and I am the Intercultural Leadership Council Graduate Assistant for OIE. I recently graduated from UNCG and am returning to pursue my master\u2019s in business administration. For three years of my undergrad career, I was a resident advisor working with communities, including first-generation, transfer, graduate, and upperclassmen students. In my free time, I spend time with friends, binge-watch TV series, and bake treats!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Lynn Vassar<\/strong> (they\/them\/theirs)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graduate Assistant for Peer Support
lpvassar@uncg.edu<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an undergraduate, Lynn attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  At JMU, they gained experience in orientation, academic advising, and diversity education. They earned their Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. At UNCG, Lynn is now pursuing a Master of Education, Student Affairs in Higher Education. In their free time, Lynn enjoys catching up with friends, sewing, and seeing the newest movies at the cinema.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Professional Staff Augusto \u201cGus\u201d Pe\u00f1a (he\/him\/his)Directoraepenaes@uncg.edu Augusto is a passionate advocate for all students and joined the staff at UNCG in 2015.   He has over twenty-one years of experience in the areas of college access, student organization advising, academic support, domestic and international undergraduate recruitment, student mentoring, retention initiatives, undergraduate teaching, … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":350,"parent":0,"menu_order":26,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"hide_page_title":"","hide_breadcrumbs":"","hide_featured_image":"","_meta_field_banner_image":[],"_meta_field_nav_page_parent_limit":"0","_meta_field_nav_page_depth_limit":"0","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-85","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nOur Staff | The Office of Intercultural Engagement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Our Staff | The Office of Intercultural Engagement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Professional Staff Augusto \u201cGus\u201d Pe\u00f1a (he\/him\/his)Directoraepenaes@uncg.edu Augusto is a passionate advocate for all students and joined the staff at UNCG in 2015.   He has over twenty-one years of experience in the areas of college access, student organization advising, academic support, domestic and international undergraduate recruitment, student mentoring, retention initiatives, undergraduate teaching, … Continued\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Office of Intercultural Engagement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-14T20:40:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/PIC420100-MAF-URE_Womens_History_Scavenger_Hunt_0432-2-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1703\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/\",\"name\":\"Our Staff | The Office of Intercultural Engagement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/PIC420100-MAF-URE_Womens_History_Scavenger_Hunt_0432-2-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-05T19:23:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-14T20:40:42+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/PIC420100-MAF-URE_Womens_History_Scavenger_Hunt_0432-2-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/PIC420100-MAF-URE_Womens_History_Scavenger_Hunt_0432-2-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1703,\"caption\":\"The Women?s History Scavenger Hunt highlights the history of UNCG buildings named after women. This hunt also includes modern women such as highlighting UNCG Alumni, current staff\/faculty, and more\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Our Staff\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/\",\"name\":\"The Office of Intercultural Engagement\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Our Staff | The Office of Intercultural Engagement","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Our Staff | The Office of Intercultural Engagement","og_description":"Professional Staff Augusto \u201cGus\u201d Pe\u00f1a (he\/him\/his)Directoraepenaes@uncg.edu Augusto is a passionate advocate for all students and joined the staff at UNCG in 2015.   He has over twenty-one years of experience in the areas of college access, student organization advising, academic support, domestic and international undergraduate recruitment, student mentoring, retention initiatives, undergraduate teaching, … Continued","og_url":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/","og_site_name":"The Office of Intercultural Engagement","article_modified_time":"2025-01-14T20:40:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1703,"url":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/PIC420100-MAF-URE_Womens_History_Scavenger_Hunt_0432-2-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/","url":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/","name":"Our Staff | The Office of Intercultural Engagement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/PIC420100-MAF-URE_Womens_History_Scavenger_Hunt_0432-2-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2024-04-05T19:23:11+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-14T20:40:42+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/PIC420100-MAF-URE_Womens_History_Scavenger_Hunt_0432-2-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/PIC420100-MAF-URE_Womens_History_Scavenger_Hunt_0432-2-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1703,"caption":"The Women?s History Scavenger Hunt highlights the history of UNCG buildings named after women. This hunt also includes modern women such as highlighting UNCG Alumni, current staff\/faculty, and more"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/our-staff\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Our Staff"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/#website","url":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/","name":"The Office of Intercultural Engagement","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/85","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/85\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":548,"href":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/85\/revisions\/548"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/intercultural.uncg.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}