2023 International Scholars Workshop

Dr. Bodine Al-Sharif  currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Higher Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She has experience as both a faculty and administrator. Her research focuses on student identity development, international and global education, and issues of social justice and advocacy within higher education. Specifically, she explores the lives of individuals who define themselves as living between worlds at the intersections of multiple constructs of identity and dominant power structures within higher education. She intentionally engages in critical qualitative research to explore the unique experiences of minoritized and marginalized populations in higher education globally. Her research has been published in The Journal of Higher Education, Journal of International Students, Higher Education Quarterly, Journal of College and Character, and Journal of Education Human Resources.

Dr. Katsumoto is a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the University of Iowa. His research interests include international education, with a particular focus on international student success, internationalization of curriculum, and global university rankings. He received his M.A. in International Educational Development from Teachers College, Columbia University, and his Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies from the University of Iowa. His research has been published in various journals, such as AERA Open, Compare, Journal of College Student Development, Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, and Journal of Studies in International Education.

Associate Professor of the Counseling and Human Development Services, University of Georgia. Katie Koo is an associate professor in the department of counseling and human development services at the University of Georgia. Her research and practice focus on underrepresented students’ collegiate experiences, mental health issues, and adjustment, including international students’ psychological well-being and racially minoritized students' unique experiences and challenges. As a former international student and as a former licensed professional counselor, Katie is passionate about supporting international students’ adjustment and mental health through her research and practice. Katie is an executive board member for the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Council for International Higher Education and a co-chair for the ASHE International Scholar Workshop. Herresearch on race and racism, Asian American college students’ experiences, international students’ psychological well-being and adjustment, and mental health assessment for minoritized students has been published in top-tier journals in the fields of education and psychology, such as Journal of College Student Development, Review of Higher Education, Journal of International Students, Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, and International Journal of Advancement for Counseling.

Dr. Nicholas Stroup serves as Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs at Ohio University. His research centers on graduate and professional education, international higher education, and contemporary theories of socialization. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies from the University of Iowa. Prior to doctoral study, he worked in several student affairs administrative roles, primarily supporting graduate and professional academic programs. His scholarly work has appeared in publications including Higher Education, Journal of Higher Education, Review of Higher Education, and Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.

David Ware graduated from Yale College, summa cum laude, in 1977. He received his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1981. He has practiced immigration law since 1982, and is a recognized leader among immigration attorneys in practice areas of interest to higher education and business immigration. He has for many years served as a mentor in these areas for other immigration attorneys through the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Mentorship Program. Mr. Ware has been active in the National Association of Foreign Student Affairs: Association of International Educators (NAFSA) since 1985. He received NAFSA’s Lifetime Achievement award this past May. He currently serves on the AILA’s Liaison Committee to the US Department of Labor, as well as on the Federal Bar Association’s (FBA’s) Professional Development Committee. He was named the FBA Immigration Law Section’s Lawyer of the Year in 2017. He is also active in the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), the Consortium of Immigration Attorneys (IMMLAW), and the International Medical Graduate Taskforce. Mr. Ware’s firm, Ware Immigration has offices in Metairie, LA, Aurora, CO and Seattle, WA.

David Ware graduated from Yale College, summa cum laude, in 1977. He received his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1981. He has practiced immigration law since 1982, and is a recognized leader among immigration attorneys in practice areas of interest to higher education and business immigration. He has for many years served as a mentor in these areas for other immigration attorneys through the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Mentorship Program. Mr. Ware has been active in the National Association of Foreign Student Affairs: Association of International Educators (NAFSA) since 1985. He received NAFSA’s Lifetime Achievement award this past May. He currently serves on the AILA’s Liaison Committee to the US Department of Labor, as well as on the Federal Bar Association’s (FBA’s) Professional Development Committee. He was named the FBA Immigration Law Section’s Lawyer of the Year in 2017. He is also active in the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), the Consortium of Immigration Attorneys (IMMLAW), and the International Medical Graduate Taskforce. Mr. Ware’s firm, Ware Immigration has offices in Metairie, LA, Aurora, CO and Seattle, WA.

Dr. Sohyun An is a Professor of Social Studies Education at Kennesaw State University. She received B.S. and M.S. degrees in social studies education from Seoul National University in South Korea, and Ph.D. degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her teaching and research centers on issues of racism, war, migration, imperialism, and citizenship within the context of social studies education. She received Outstanding Teaching Award, Outstanding Research Award, and Distinguished Professor Award from her university as well as  Distinguished Researcher Award from American Educational Research Association’s SIG Research on the Education of Asian Pacific Americans.

JoAnn Fong currently serves as the Director of Student Experience at INTO UAB at the Unviersity of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She received a B.S. in Pyschology and a B.A. in International Studies from UAB and worked in the non-profit sector before returning to her alma mater to establish a career in student affairs. She previously worked in the Office of Student Multicultural and Diversity Programs before joining INTO UAB. In her current position, she oversees the support services and engagement of international students across campus. Her passion for international education drives her work in creating a more inclusive and accessible campus by collaborating with campus and community partners to create a vast network of resources, contacts, and services to support international student success from their orientation to graduation, and beyond.

Dr. Laura Dean is Professor in the College Student Affairs Administration/Student Affairs Leadership program at the University of Georgia. Her research focuses primarily on assessment, the application of professional standards, and the improvement of practice. She is the co-author of Assessment in Student Affairs (2nd ed., 2016) and co-editor of Using the CAS Professional Standards: Diverse Examples of Practice (2017). Previously, she served as the senior student affairs officer at Pfeiffer University and at Peace College in North Carolina. She holds a BA from Westminster College (PA) and her graduate degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Dr. Jackie Eunjung Relyea is an Assistant Professor of Literacy Education at North Carolina State University. Before joining the faculty, she served as a post-doctoral research fellow at Harvard University and University of Houston. Her primary research focus lies in the development and evaluation of evidence-based literacy interventions that enhance learning opportunities for elementary-grade multilingual students, particularly English learners, to improve their English reading comprehension and writing outcomes. She has received funding from several esteemed institutions, including the Institute of Education Sciences, American Educational Research Association-National Science Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and William T. Grant Foundation, to support her research projects.

Tang Heng is an Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. By studying what happens when people and ideas circulate across borders, she explores the intersection of pedagogy, culture, and diversity through a comparative and international education lens. She received the 2021 NAFSA Innovative Research in International Education Award and the Comparative and International Education Society’s Study Abroad and International Students SIG Early Career Award in 2019. Prior to academia, Tang has worked in for- and non-profit organizations in China, Dubai, Singapore and the U.S.

Dr. Milad Mohebali is an Assistant Professor of Educational Administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of Iowa, a M.S. in Higher Education Administration from Oklahoma State University, and a M.S. and B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from K.N. Toosi University of Technology and Tehran Polytechnic, respectively, in Iran. Milad’s research areas include decolonization, difficult dialogues, and addressing precarity and basic needs insecurity at college. His research has been published in Educational Researcher, Journal of College Student Development, Community College Review, and Globalisation, Societies, and Education.