2008 Querétaro Resident Directors

Summer Session #1 Amber Thatcher is currently finishing her Master's degree in Intercultural Relations at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts where she is concentrating on international education exchange (study abroad). In addition to her studies, she is working as a Program Manager at Boston University in the Office of International Programs. Prior to returning to school, she worked at IUSI as the Coordinator of High School and Independent Programs, during which time she led three high school groups in Costa Rica. Amber graduated from the University of Oregon where she majored in Political Science and Spanish and studied for a semester in Querétaro. During her free time she enjoys being outdoors, reading, cooking, and traveling.
Summer Session #2 María Olivares, originally from Chile, has been teaching Spanish language and cultures for over five years in the United States. First at the University of Oregon, where she got her Masters in Spanish, and then at The Catholic University of America where she is finishing her Doctorate in Latin American Literature. Her desire to introduce students to Mexican culture first-hand led her to serve as Resident Director for one of our undergraduate programs in 2005. Now, she is eager to experience the kindness of Mexican people with a new group of students and to show them the amazing city of Querétaro. She enjoys outdoor activities such as running, Baroque music, cooking and family life. Her husband, a graduate student at the University of Oregon, and her two children - Chileans by birth and Oregonian by heart - are accompanying her to Querétaro.
Summer Session #3 Michael Gray has bachelor degrees in history and Spanish and an MA in Journalism from the University of Oregon, and is currently completing an MA in Spanish there as well. He has taught at the college level for fifteen years and currently teaches Spanish at the U of O. He has lived in Germany and Italy, and lived and studied in Mexico and Guatemala. He spends his free time with his 9-year-old daughter, listening to live music with his friends, and running, hiking and downhill skiing.