International Student & Scholar Services Team

CHELSEA WELLS
DIRECTOR

CHRISTINA STRAIN
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, IMMIGRATION & POLICY,
PDSO

Jessica Schlotfeldt Associate Director, Sponsored Student Program & Training

Stephen Smith
Associate Director,
J-1 Exchange Visitor Program, RO

Sylvia Christensen
Administrative Officer

CASSANDRA CLARK
J1 PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Danika Borcik
Orientation Program Coordinator

Kendra Taylor
Sponsored Student Program Coordinator

Annabel Cho
International Student Advisor

DANIEL CLOWARD
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ADVISOR

Steven Burnett International Student Advisor

Suchavadee (Oui) Ampaichitt International Student Advisor

Laiyan Bawadeen Counseling Intern

DANIEL DE ANDRADE DAMIANI
J-1 PROGRAM ASSISTANT

INGRID BRAGA
GRADUATE ASSISTANT

KRISHA SHAKYA
GRADUATE ASSISTANT

ALY VYFVINKEL
PEER ADVISOR

KASEY BEGG
PEER ADVISOR

RENAN PEREIRA
PEER ADVISOR

ZACH SRIVASTAVA
PEER ADVISOR

Chelsea Wells, Director

Chelsea Wells is a dedicated higher education professional who has been working with international students and diverse communities for nearly ten years. With a background in Anthropology and Law, Chelsea has worked to advocate for the needs of international students and their families through a myriad of channels, including immigration and educational advising, as well as recruitment and admissions processing. Chelsea received her Bachelor of Science in Biological Anthropology from Loyola University Chicago, and her Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law. Chelsea enjoys working with the international communities at the University of Utah, as well as in the Salt Lake City area, and pursues opportunities to advocate and innovate to expand programs and initiatives to best serve our international students and scholars. Outside of work, Chelsea enjoys traveling and experiencing various cultures, learning languages, reading, and exploring the beautiful outdoors around Utah, all alongside her husband and their beloved dog.

Christina Strain
Associate Director, Immigration & Policy, PDSO

Christina joined the International Student & Scholar Services team in November 2011. She serves as the senior immigration officer and works closely with immigration policy interpretation and regulation policy. Christina received her B.S. in Business Administration as well as her TESOL certificate from the University of Utah. She enjoys working with international students and advocating for international and global opportunities on campus. Outside of work, Christina enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.

Jessica Schlotfeldt
Associate Director, Sponsored Student Program & Training

Jess has been working in higher education at the University of Utah for over 10 years. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography with a minor in Central and Southwest Asian Studies from the University of Montana, and received her TESOL certificate from the University of Utah. Outside of ISSS she can be found taking road trips to Southern Utah, adventuring around the world, and cheering for her favorite sports teams-Seattle Seahawks, and the UofU Utes!

Stephen Smith
Associate Director, J-1 Exchange Visitor Program, RO

Stephen joined the University of Utah in January 2014 after earning a Master’s in Public Administration from LSU. He has worked in the field of international education for almost 10 years and currently serves as an Associate Director and Responsible Officer of the Exchange Visitor Program. When not working, he enjoys backpacking, fishing, snow skiing, and travel.

Sylvia Christensen
Administrative Officer

Sylvia is originally from São Paulo, Brazil and joined the University of Utah in 2010. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Design and brings extensive experience in budgeting, purchasing and managing from years working in the retail industry. She is currently the ISSS Administrative Officer, overseeing the grant and financial activities, in addition to managing the day-to-day operations. She serves as the Staff Advisor to the Brazilian Student Association, BRASA and enjoys interacting with international students from all over the world. Outside of work, she enjoys going to art museums, gardening and spending time with her family.

Cassandra Clark
J1 Program Coordinator

Cassandra joined the University of Utah in July of 2016 as an F-1 and J-1 student advisor, specifically working with sponsored students, and now serves as the J-1 Program Coordinator. She has a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice and a Master’s in International Studies. In the past 10 years she has been involved in international higher education through studying abroad, teaching ESL both in the U.S. and abroad, and serving as an international student advisor in multiple institutions. When not at work, Cassandra enjoys spending time with family and friends, hiking, and travelling.

Danika Borcik
Orientation Program Coordinator

Danika has been working with international students at the University of Utah since 2016, and has been a member of the ISSS team since 2018. She graduated from the U with a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies with an emphasis in Foreign Relations and Security. Danika enjoys coordinating the International Student Orientation each semester and advising both the International Student Ambassador scholarship program and the International Student Council. Her favorite experiences abroad include studying international law in Kiel, Germany and teaching English to elementary school kids in Suzhou, China.

Kendra Taylor
Sponsored Student Program Coordinator

Originally from Oregon, Kendra joined the University of Utah in October 2015. She has a Bachelor’s in Political Science, a Master’s in TESOL, and has worked in international education for over eight years – in the US and abroad. Kendra is particularly interested in the languages and cultures of the Middle East and North Africa. When she’s not at the U, she can be found trail running in the mountains that surround the Salt Lake Valley, camping in the national parks, and exploring new places and cultures around the world.

Annabel Cho
International Student Advisor

Annabel joined International Student and Scholar Services in 2014 as an F-1 advisor. In addition to working with F-1 students, she works to keep F-1 policies up to date. She also enjoys welcoming new international student during orientation time. She graduated from University of Utah with a Master’s degree in Public Administration in 2012. When not at work, she can be found spending time with her family either at a quite café or at a busy farmers market.

Daniel Cloward
International Student Advisor

Daniel is originally from Utah, and he is thrilled to be back in Salt Lake and working at The U. He spent the better part of ten years living in Chicago where he earned a BA in American Sign Language/English Interpretation from Columbia College Chicago and an MA in Relational Communication and a TESOL Certificate from DePaul University. Soon, he will finish his MEd in Social Sciences in International Education online. His first time traveling abroad and living in another country was as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Armenia (’15 – ’17). Daniel would love to visit every country in the world, but his current goal is to visit all 50 states in the US – he’s been to 42 – and to try a lot of good food along the way.

Steven Burnett
International Student Advisor

Steven has been working in international education for over 14 years and he currently advises F-1 students. Steven enjoys different languages and cultures; he has lived in Taiwan, Japan, and Russia and speaks some Chinese and Russian. He received his undergraduate degree from BYU where he double-majored in Russian and European Studies. He earned his Master of Library Science degree from Emporia State University in Kansas. When not at work, Steven enjoys spending time with his family and reading.

Suchavadee (Oui) Ampaichitt
International Student Advisor

Suchavadee (Oui) has been working in the field of international education at the University of Utah for over ten years. She is originally from Bangkok, Thailand and came to the United States as an international student. She graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication. Her firsthand experiences as an international student brought her to her current role at ISSS as an International Student Advisor. She is passionate about helping international students, especially in their cultural adjustment to the U.S. Oui enjoys working with students, traveling, working on graphic design projects and exploring new places, cultures, and food.

Laiyan Bawadeen
Counseling Intern

Laiyan Bawadeen is half Taiwanese and half Sri-Lankan. Before coming to Salt Lake City, she lived in Lebanon for 14 years, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Lebanese American University. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Clinical and Mental Health Counseling at the University of Utah. Laiyan started her counseling internship position at ISSS in Spring 2019. Being an international student herself, Laiyan understands the stressors international students go through in order to be here. She is passionate about working with the international student population and hopes to facilitate their academic journey at the U of U by providing them with the support they need through mental health services. Laiyan is fluent in Chinese, English and Arabic. During her free time, she likes to cook, bake, play video games and read various novels.

Ingrid Braga
Graduate Assistant

Ingrid is originally from the Northeast of Brazil, and first came to the University of Utah in 2017 on a Fulbright scholarship to teach Portuguese and promote Brazilian culture on campus. Since then, she fell in love with the University of Utah and decided to return for a graduate degree. Ingrid is currently in the Master’s in Latin American Studies. As an international student herself, she feels very happy to be a part of the ISSS team and be able to provide support for other international students. Ingrid is fluent in English and Portuguese, and she is also working on learning French and Spanish.

Krisha Shakya
Graduate Assistant

Krisha is an international student from Lalitpur, Nepal. She received both her Undergraduate and Graduate degree from Nepal and is currently studying her second Graduate degree in Master of Science in International Affairs & Global Enterprise (MIAGE) from the University of Utah. She is thrilled to be working with ISSS and getting to connect and make friends with students from all over the globe. In her free time, she likes to travel, dance, read books, cook, paint and listen to music. Her mother tongue is Newari, but she is also fluent in English, Nepalese and Hindi.

Daniel de Andrade Damiani
J-1 Program Assistant

Daniel was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. He is an undergraduate student at the David Eccles School of Business. Daniel speaks Portuguese, English and Spanish, and when he has time, he likes to do things in the outdoors, meet new people and learn new cultures. He also loves playing sports, especially soccer, volleyball, and racquetball, and eating food from around the world. As part of his Utah experience, he is learning how to snowboard and survive through the cold winter of Salt Lake.

Aly Vyfvinkel
Peer Advisor

Aly was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and is studying Marketing and Spanish at the U. Besides working as a Peer Advisor for the front desk and studying, Aly is involved in Greek Life at the U and enjoys drawing, baking, and playing sports, especially soccer and basketball. She also enjoys meeting new people from all walks of life which inspires her love of travelling and her goal to one day visit all 7 Wonders of the World

Kasey Begg
Peer Advisor

Kasey was raised in Salt Lake City and is now a sophomore at the U, majoring in International Studies and getting her minor in Spanish. She is excited about working in the ISSS and meeting new students from all over the world! In her free time, Kasey enjoys spending time hiking and camping in the mountains, and playing guitar, piano, and soccer.

Renan Pereira
Peer Advisor

Renan was born in Rio, Brazil and is currently studying finance at the David Eccles School of Business. He is a member of both the University’s Finance Club and Emerging Professionals Finance group. He likes to know people from different countries and understand their culture, habits and traditions. When he is not working or studying, he likes to travel with his wife, read, play soccer and watch the World Rally Championship.

Zach Srivastava
Peer Advisor

Zach started classes at the University of Utah in 2016 and started working for ISSS in 2018. He is working on a double major in Computer Engineering and Philosophy. He likes to learn about different cultures and their histories. When he isn’t at work or school he enjoys travelling, music, Sci Fi movies, trying new types of food, and reading.