LISA HAMILTON

University of Virginia, B.A., History and Spanish, University of Virginia, M.A., Teaching

While at the University of Virginia, Lisa spent a semester in Valencia, Spain, where she studied Spanish culture, art, and language. She has traveled to Nicaragua several times, where she volunteered in local schools and orphanages. After she completed her master’s in teaching, she taught high school humanities at an international school in Bangkok, Thailand, and traveled throughout southeast Asia. Lisa led a service trip for high school students to the remote hill tribes of northern Thailand, where participants hiked to secluded villages and learned about the diversity in Thai cultures and livelihoods. Lisa taught eighth grade civics for three years and currently teaches eleventh grade U.S. history, mentors students, and is her school’s head women’s soccer coach. She is fluent in Spanish and has twice led Putney’s Middle School Costa Rica program, as well as Community Service Dominican Republic.

GREGORIO ROJAS

Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, B.S., Industrial Design

During his undergraduate studies at Javeriana University, Gregorio focused his industrial design career in social — hands on — design, working in a rural community in Palomino, Colombia. This five-year project designed and constructed solutions hand-in-hand with the villagers. Because of its results, the project won the UNESCO Shenzhen Design Award, among other recognitions. Enthusiastic about the outdoors and education, Gregorio worked for Colombia’s biggest outdoor education company and has led expeditions all over Colombia, his home country, and other South American destinations. After graduation, in alliance with the Global Heritage Fund, he designed and constructed dry eco-toilets for tourists in the Lost City, the most important archaeological park in Colombia. Gregorio is passionate about building and constructing and he loves tools, fishing, and adventure. Gregorio was part of the team that designed and constructed the games and challenges in a Colombian TV reality show and lived on an island for over two months. In 2016, he moved to the other side of the world, and currently lives in Laos, working to connect local communities and tourists in a project that seeks to use tourism as a positive force for the society and the environment. He has traveled extensively in Brazil, Argentina, Panamá, Cuba, Guatemala, Germany, Austria, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and elsewhere. Gregorio speaks English and is a native Spanish speaker.