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Clark University
Office of
Global Engagement

Our Offices and Teams

American Language Culture Institute

American Language and Culture Institute

The American Language and Culture Institute (ALCI) offers programs and workshops designed to help our students meet their English language learning goals.

Staff Information

ISSO

International Students & Scholars Office

The International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) advises international students, faculty, scholars, and alumni on matters relating to immigration.

Staff Information

Study Abroad and Away

Study Abroad Office

The Office of Study Abroad and Away connects students with opportunities to study beyond the Worcester campus.

Staff Information

Our Staff

Sarah Lopolito

Sarah Lopolito

Associate Dean and Director of the Office of Global Engagement

1-508-793-7309

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For as long as Sarah can remember, she wanted to be in the field of education in one way or another. Sarah has been lucky to have fulfilled this career goal in a wide variety of settings from large public schools to small private universities and nonprofit organizations. In each of these locations, she has been able to enact her belief that focused and personalized instruction creates an enriching experience for students.

Sarah’s desire to work in international education started when she studied abroad in Glasgow, Scotland, and deepened when as a fifth-grade teacher, she developed curriculum centered on the book “Talking Walls.” This book looks at different walls located around the world, and served as a catalyst for cultural explorations. This curriculum only fueled Sarah’s own interest in exploring different places and interacting with people from cultures different from her own. Eventually, her career shifted to teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) in higher educational institutions. From there, she transitioned to administrative work as she moved into director roles for English language programs and later into overseeing Clark University’s International Center. In her current role of Assistant Dean and Director of the International Center, she provides mentorship and guidance to the operations and functionality of the International Students and Scholars Office, the American Language and Culture Institute, as well as Office of Study Abroad and Away. She also oversees the development and maintenance of relationships with international partners and liaises frequently with foreign institutes.

Sarah received a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary and Special Education from Providence College and a Master’s Degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from The New School in New York City. She has attended annual conferences at NAFSA Region XI, NAFSA, AIEA, EAIE, TESOL, NNETESOL, and English USA, and presented at NAFSA Region XI, TESOL, and English USA.

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David Joseph

Communication & Events Specialist

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David(he/him/his) is thrilled to be joining the Office of Global Engagement as a Communications and Events Specialist to serve Clark University’s International Students. David is a multimedia and communication enthusiast. David will primarily be taking the lead at coordinating events and marketing events on various platforms.

David grew up in Brockton, MA in a Haitian-American family. Being the son of immigrants and growing up in among Brockton’s big Cape Verdean population, David understands the importance of respecting and appreciating other cultures outside of the U.S. and has mentored and assisted various young students from a variety of backgrounds. He can speak and understand Haitian Creole. Growing up in a church that was predominantly Haitian-speaking, David would often translate information into English for other members. He received his bachelor’s degree in communication studies in 2019 at Bridgewater State University. David has always had a passion for building relationships with people from diverse backgrounds. Additionally, he is passionate about being able to disseminate information in multiple forms of digital media and written communication. The world will always need to be communicated to, and he is a strong believer that whether written, visual or verbal, healthy communication makes the world go around.

When David is not at Clark University, he enjoys going to concerts, reading a good self-help book, enjoying a relaxing time at a spa, and going to sporting events.

American Language and Culture Institute (ALCI)

Ercan Balci

Ercan Balci

Director, American Language and Culture Institute

1-508-793-7652

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Ercan Balci is the Director of ALCI at Clark University. Although he recently started in this role, he has been at Clark in various roles since 2019.

Ercan is originally from Istanbul, Turkey, where he completed his BA, MA, and Ph.D. in Language Studies. Prior to Clark, he taught language, culture, and Global Studies courses and directed programs at the University of Illinois and Brown University. Ercan has been a big fan of collaborating with faculty and staff from various departments and institutions to increase the visibility of international education, languages, and cultures.

Ercan considers himself a Global Citizen, and enjoys learning and teaching the richness of languages and cultures around the world. He has traveled to many countries in Europe, North America, and South America. One day, he wants to visit several countries in Africa and Asia, but he has a homestead with lots of farm animals, making it impossible for him to travel.

Nicholas Gareca

Nicholas Gareca

Academic Specialist, American Language and Culture Institute

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Nico (he/him/él/-o) is very excited to be joining the ALCI as the Academic Specialist. Having only moved to the area in 2022, he especially looks forward to working with new students so that we may all discover our innah New Englandah.

Nico grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania in an Argentine-American family. Forever a lover of languages, he went to Temple University where studied English, Spanish Literature, and Mandarin Chinese. After completing a yearlong study abroad program at Xiamen University in China, he returned to Asia as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Grantee to Taitung, Taiwan. He then went on to complete his Masters of Education in Bilingual Education at the University of Minnesota, and picked up a bit of French along the way. Now happily settled at Clark University, Nico now hopes that Ercan will teach him Turkish.

When Nico is not at Clark University, Nico lives in a farm cooperative where he enjoys shoveling compost, running, baking bread, and playing music. He hopes you will come visit him at ALCI office!

Learn more about ALCI

International Students and Scholars Office

Susannah Marcucci

Susannah Marcucci

Director, PDSO & RO, International Student and Scholars Office

1-508-793-7762

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Susannah manages the daily operations of the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO). She advises international students, scholars, and faculty while overseeing University compliance with federal immigration regulations.

Susannah grew up in a small town in New Hampshire dreaming about traveling the world and experiencing different ways of life. Her international journey took her to England for a gap year before attending Boston University to study international relations. While an undergraduate student, Susannah studied abroad in Turkey and Morocco. After graduation, she spent four years teaching English as a foreign language in Morocco and working on her Arabic skills.

Upon her return to the United States, Susannah realized that her intercultural skills and interest in education could be the foundation of a lifelong career. Susannah worked in immigration advising and international student support at several higher education institutions in the Boston area while earning a master’s degree in communication management from Emerson College. In January 2020, she made the move to central Massachusetts to join Clark. Susannah is now pursuing doctoral studies in Education Leadership.

Nathan Cruz

Nathan Cruz

International Student Advisor, International Students and Scholars Office

1-508-793-7339

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Nathan comes back to Clark as an international student advisor. He works to advise international students regarding immigration and immigration-related issues, issue immigration documents, and maintain student records.

As an undergraduate at Clark, Nathan realized he could use his love for learning about different countries and cultures by working in immigration. This led him to study abroad in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, as well as complete internships working with migrant communities at his Congressman’s office in Lynn, Massachusetts and at Ascentria Care Alliance in Worcester. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a minor in Latin American studies, he worked at a corporate immigration law firm, completing immigration processes for both the United States and more than a dozen other countries.

When not working, Nathan likes to spend his time planning travel and finding the best new music from around the world.

Amanda Desai

Amanda Desai

Associate Director, International Student and Scholars Office

1-508-793-7357

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As the Associate Director for the International Students and Scholars Office, Amanda supports and advises the international community at Clark regarding immigration and immigration-related issues, transitioning to the United States, and overall student success as a Clarkie!

Amanda earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture Business Management from SUNY Cobleskill in 2009 and received her Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administrative Services from Mckendree University in 2011. Amanda has over ten years of Higher Education and Student Affairs experience, with a focus in Residence Life and International Student Services.

Amanda has a passion for supporting and serving international students while collaborating with the International Center team to create a positive and student-centered International Student experience at Clark University.

Winifred Spillers

Winifred Spillers

Compliance and Support Coordinator, International Student and Scholars Office

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Winnie is a language and culture enthusiast and is excited to lend support to Clark’s international students.  She has a Bachelor’s degree in Russian Area Studies from Central Connecticut State College and earned TESOL/TESL/TEFL Teacher Training Certification from Oxford Seminars.  After graduating from college, Winnie traveled to Taiwan alone, where she quickly discovered she did not actually speak Chinese, was not proficient in the use of chopsticks and was faint of heart riding public transportation to erroneous destinations.   Since that time, Winnie has traveled widely and continues to test her skills in many languages, with no shame.

Prior to joining Clark, Winnie worked in the social service industry for 20 years, serving refugees and immigrants from around the world.  She taught Citizenship and English as a Second Language for seven years, before joining a program dedicated to assisting unaccompanied refugee and migrant children.

In a spirit of reciprocity for the kindness received from strangers around the globe, Winnie has welcomed exchange visitors from France, Sweden, Japan, The Netherlands, and Russia, refugees from Sierra Leone, and a youth from Guatemala to weave a shared story.

Learn more about ISSO

Study Abroad Office

Alissa Briggs

Alissa Briggs

Director, Study Abroad and Away

1-508-793-7354

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Alissa serves as the Director of Study Abroad and Away Programs here at Clark.  Her main responsibilities include working with her team to advise Clark students through all aspects of the study abroad process and maintaining an office portfolio of over 50 approved study away programs.  She is also responsible for maintaining budgets, updating and executing health and risk management policies, monitoring academic quality and safety issues; institutional relationships and developing and implementing new programs to meet evolving needs of students. Alissa is a member of the NAFSA Association for International Educators and is currently Chair of the NAFSA Region XI Leadership Team. She is also a member of the Forum Standards of Good Practice, Diversity Abroad, and the CIEE Academic Consortium.

Alissa received her double Bachelor’s degree in Social Thought & Political Economy and Germanic Languages and Literature from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she studied abroad as an exchange student at the Karls-Eberhard-Universität in Tübingen, Germany.  Realizing that she could make study abroad a career, Alissa furthered her education by getting her Master’s degree in Intercultural Relations and International Higher Education from Lesley University.  She has since worked for ISEP Study Abroad in Washington, DC and Boston University Global Programs in Boston, MA and Brussels, Belgium.

Colton King

Colton King

Assistant Director, Study Abroad and Away

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A local of Worcester County, Colton (he/him), is thrilled to be joining the Office of Study Abroad. Having studied and worked around Worcester as a teenager and beyond, he enjoys talking about the many hidden gems of Worcester in addition to finding new ones.

Colton embarked on a transformative journey at seventeen through the LABO Japan Exchange Program, sparking his passion for Japan and international exchange. He pursued a dual degree in Japanese Language & Literature/Hospitality & Tourism Management at UMass, Amherst, studying abroad at Kansai Gaidai during that time. After graduating, he participated in the JET Program in Osaka, Japan, teaching English to middle school students for three years and engaging with community initiatives. Following that, he transitioned to a role at Keihan Hotels and Resorts as a translator for The Thousand Kyoto Hotel in Kyoto. He returned to the US during the global pandemic and worked with JFC International, a Japanese food distribution company and child of Kikkoman Soy Sauce. He thrives in a setting of bridging cultural gaps and fostering connections through diverse experiences drawn from his time in Japan.

During free time, Colton enjoys going to live concerts, playing music, watching horror movies, riding motorcycles, scuba diving, and playing a number of tabletop games. He hopes to assist you in making your study abroad ambitions a reality in the near future!

Learn More about Study Abroad and Away

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Clark Poland and Clark China Programs

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Contact Information

Office of Global Engagement

Office Location

  • International Center at Corner House
    142 Woodland Street
    Worcester, MA 01610

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