“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

Court is a graduate student and graduate assistant in the Department of Biology who studies the ecology and conservation of the Utila spiny-tailed iguana in Honduras and who will graduate in May. Court has conducted research in coordination with local nonprofits and has helped train Honduran biologists in research methods, receiving funding from the International Iguana Foundation, IdeaWild, Holohil, and the IUP School of Graduate Studies and Research. They were the teaching assistant for Honduras study abroad programs and the representative for IUP at the Iguana Specialist Group 2022 meeting in Dominica last year. Court is a peer advisor and the communications coordinator for the Education Abroad program in the Office of International Education. In these roles, they manage social media accounts and promotional materials and assist IUP students with study abroad programs and resources. Court is one of the coordinators for the upcoming Unity Day, a showcase of our international community here in Indiana. We thank you, Court!

Ileana began her career in higher education in 2009 at the University of Florida, where she worked with sponsored programs supporting undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented minorities in STEM and created professional development programming for the university’s Center for Undergraduate Research. While there, she obtained her master’s degree in wildlife ecology and conservation, and her research led to the discovery of three new species of frogs and one snake and the publication of more than 10 peer-reviewed scientific publications. Originally from Honduras, Ileana has conducted biology research and international work taking her to Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Chile, and multiple regions of the United States. She joined IUP as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Biology in 2017, and last November, she began working in the Office of International Education as director of the Education Abroad program. In support of IUP’s internationalization goals, she seeks to develop global education opportunities that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, not only through study abroad, but also through scholarship, research, and teaching experiences. We thank you, Ileana!

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