GoAbroad.com is committed to providing the most comprehensive international education and alternative travel resource

What We Are Here For

GoAbroad.com is dedicated to providing this information in a clean and less-commercial format. Advertising space is limited and strategically placed for the most cohesive design. GoAbroad.com is a very user-friendly site, graphics are developed with load time as a priority, search directories and content are created as the market demands.

Our History

GoAbroad.com was launched to fill an information void in the area of international student travel. GoAbroad.com was conceptualized to provide a one-stop information center for students wishing to travel internationally. The site was created to link prospective travelers with organizations providing international opportunities. View our timeline

The People Behind GoAbroad

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Jonathan Miers, Operations Manager - Asia

"The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences…"

With a life altering study abroad experience in London, Jonathan became internationally focused with aspirations of traveling and living abroad. Seeking to enhance his degree in Marketing, Jonathan enrolled in an MBA program concentrated in International Business at North Central College, while recruiting for the university's Admissions Office. After graduation his story starts with GoAbroad.com.

With an ever-evolving role, he has become a search engine optimization junky, a social media snob, and versed in international education. He reached a life goal of living abroad by becoming an expat in the Philippines; currently residing as Operations Manager overseeing GoAbroad's Philippines operations, including project management, product development, and general operations.

Countries Traveled to: The Philippines, China, England, France, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Ukraine, Mexico, Canada

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Analiza Aranas, Senior Marketing and Accounts Manager

"Wherever you go, you take yourself with you." – Neil Gaiman

Analiza Aranas graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from the University of San Carlos in Cebu City. Prior to joining the GoAbroad team, Analiza worked as a Marketing executive for a Computer company and a prestigious International Fashion Company where she was repeatedly rewarded for her commitment and professionalism.

Analiza currently holds the position of Senior Marketing and Accounts Manager at GoAbroad.com and is responsible for maintaining and expanding partner and client relationships as well as consulting on new GoAbroad endeavours. Analiza has travelled throughout Southeast Asia and has become a familiar face on the International Education circuit having regularly attended NAFSA conferences in the United States for the past 6 years. Outside work, Analiza takes pride in being a devoted wife and mother of two beautiful children, whom she mentions to be her biggest source of inspiration.

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Nikki Powers, Partner Relations Manager

"Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends." – Maya Angelou

A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Nikki relocated to Colorado where she traded delicious cheese for amazing mountains. A graduate from UW-Madison with a BFA in Studio Art and a BA in History, Nikki received several prestigious scholarships including the Hilldale Fellowship for Undergraduate Research.

While in college, Nikki studied abroad in Santiago, Chile, where she found a new appreciation for cultural exchange through intensive art classes, intimate discussions with local friends, and volunteering in a Chilean middle school. As the Partner Relations Manager, Nikki works closely with GoAbroad's advertising clients and partner universities. Prior to joining the GoAbroad team, Nikki served as an AmeriCorps volunteer for one year with the Fort Collins Boys and Girls Club of America where she continues to volunteer in her spare time. Nikki has also traveled extensively, visiting Mexico, Jamaica, Canada, France, Guatemala, Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia. When she's not working or planning her next adventure, Nikki enjoys volunteering with youth, being outside, and cheering on Wisconsin sports teams.

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Vanessa Sia, Partner Relations Representative

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." – Saint Augustine

Immediately after completing her Bachelor's Degree in Economics at the University of the Philippines - Tacloban, Vanessa started working for GoAbroad.com. She started as a Project Management Intern and now she's a Partner Relations Manager maintaining client relationships and acquiring new ones. GoAbroad.com being her first real-job experience, she endeavoured to learn about the industry, gained the knowledge & skills, and showed remarkable qualities of professionalism & leadership.

Vanessa has had her share of local & international travels both for pleasure and business; exploring different parts of her own country & attending International Conferences such as WYSTC, CIEE, and just recently, NAFSA. She hopes to travel more because to her, traveling opens her knowledge of the world. She states, "There is so much to do, so much to see, so little time..so don't stop, explore while you can."

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Kayla Patterson, GoMedia Coordinator

"I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list." – Susan Sontag

Kayla graduated with a Bachelor's in Business Administration with a Concentration in Marketing from Colorado State University while working for GoAbroad, and has been with us ever since! Often referred to as our resident social media guru, Kayla serves as our GoMedia Coordinator and works very closely with GoSocial, our comprehensive social media management and consulting service.

After running her own residential cleaning business and working in various restaurants through college, Kayla says she's found her niche working in online marketing. One of her biggest regrets was never studying abroad during her undergrad, but says working for GoAbroad helps tell students that no matter your situation going abroad IS possible! She also describes herself as a developing travel addict and enjoys "the little things in life" - movies, music, dessert, shopping, and fashion magazines!

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Joyce Tamayo, Partner Relations Representative

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new views, but in seeing with new eyes." – Marcel Proust

Joyce began her adventure at GoAbroad.com in 2007 when she started as an Editor. With a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science from the University of the Philippines - Tacloban College, she has worked on maintaining the content of the website and doing research for future projects. A year later, she joined the Partner Relations team who works on expanding and strengthening relations with program providers and advertising partners. As an attendee of the WYSTC and NAFSA conferences, she gained valuable knowledge that motivated her to spread the word about the study abroad field.

Despite being in the travel abroad industry, she considers herself directionally-challenged but her claim to fame is when she traveled the major cities of South Korea by herself. On ordinary weekends, Joyce loves staying at home - bundled with her two kids and watching a good film.

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Czarisse Daphne Dolina, Technical Director

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." – Jawaharial Nehru

After completing her education with an academic scholarship in Computer Science, Daphne started work at GoAbroad.com's IT department as a programmer. She has since then proven her technical expertise to lead multiple key projects for GoAbroad.com and its clients.

Currently one of the company's Technical Directors, she manages the development of several innovative products for the travel industry including the ongoing GoAbroad.net redesign. Away from work, Daphne loves to travel and has explored key cities in Southeast Asia. She looks forward to more experiences abroad while promoting international travel and education.

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Clyde Alegro, Senior Designer

"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious." – Albert Einstein

Clyde is a graduate of the University of the Philippines - Tacloban in Computer Science. After starting his career in computer programming, he transitioned to designing to compliment his desire for creativity. His career with GoAbroad started over 7 years ago and he has grown into the Senior Lead Designer at GoAbroad, becoming the cornerstone to the design team.

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Tiffany Harrison, Outreach Manager

"But do not ask me where I am going, As I travel in this limitless world, Where every step I take is my home." – Dogen

Hailing from the Northern California Foothills, Tiffany Harrison is a 2010 grad of California State University Chico with a BA in Journalism Public Relations. Thanks to H.G. Wells, her initial dreams of becoming a time traveler are what ignited her passion for international education and study abroad. An interest in Celtic culture and Scottish history led her to live and study in Stirling, Scotland for a year, where she cultivated her aspirations for a career in international education.

Most recently, Tiffany is a Colorado transplant after working in public relations in San Francisco. She also previously served as an international mentor and peer adviser for the CSU Chico study abroad office, in which she assisted with cultural adjustment support for a diverse number of students. As the Partnership and Outreach Manager, Tiffany manages the GoAbroad Blog and identifies strategic partnerships to expand GoAbroad's global reach. She is an avid tea-drinker who lives by the words of Jane Austen and considers her passport a map to discovering the world.

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Elsa Thomasma, Editor

"A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history" – Mahatma Ghandi

Elsa received her Bachelors degree in Psychology and Sociology at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Between semesters of undergraduate study Elsa embarked on the biggest adventure of her life, when she decided to volunteer in the Philippines for three months. To this day that decision stands as the most pivotal choice of her entire life. Elsa developed a close relationship with the nonprofit she worked with, the local people she came in contact with, and the fun-loving culture that surrounded her. After returning multiple times she began her own community center project in 2013, and has since then realized that with a heart full of passion and a dedicated mind the future is truly limitless.

Since her first major trip abroad in 2009, Elsa has travelled to Thailand, Puerto Rico, England, The West Indies, Mexico, Canada, and The Netherlands. With each new country Elsa's urge to explore new places and cultures continues to grow indefinitely. As a new member of GoAbroad's Content Team, she hopes to help expand the information available to new travelers so everyone can find their own way to explore the world.

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Annie Bierbower, Editor

"Not all who wander are lost." – J.R.R. Tolkien

Annie was born and raised in northeastern Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska at Kearney with a BA in Mass Media Communication and a minor in Graphic Design. She spent her last semester studying and volunteering abroad in Lima, Perú fueled by a desire to learn Spanish and experience the culture of South America. The semester was followed by five weeks of backpacking throughout the country where she was able to try everything from a worm in the Amazon to sandboarding desert dunes. She has dreamed of traveling for as long as she can remember and started saving by putting dollar bills in a shoebox under her bed as a young child.

In college, she completed an internship in videography and worked as a Production Assistant for the local television station. After graduation, she worked in newspaper editing and reporting as well as bilingual customer service. Annie then found her way to the mountains and a home in Fort Collins, Colorado where her two passions, travel and writing, were finally able to come together as a Content Manager for GoAbroad. Her position includes writing and editing travel articles, as well as online video production. She also helps with the creation and maintenance of a living community of writers for the GoAbroad blog and website. She spends her weekends hiking, camping, playing sand volleyball and being a grammar nerd.

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Rachael VanDerWerff, Operations Coordinator

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Rachael VanDerWerff graduated from South Dakota State University (SDSU) with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education. While attending SDSU she had the opportunity to spend a semester studying abroad in Jönköping, Sweden. There she fell in love with the concept of international education and personally experienced how meaningful it is. Once she returned to the Midwest she began working in the International Affairs Office at SDSU where she meet with many eager students and helped them find the Study Abroad program that fit their needs.

She eventually left South Dakota and ventured out west, with her husband, to Colorado. She is now the Operations Coordinator for GoAbroad in the Fort Collins office and is thrilled to be able to continue to help individuals find their perfect international experience!

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Troy Peden, Founder

"One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." – Henry Miller

Troy Peden, one of the original founders, began design and research for the site while heading the study abroad program at the University of Colorado at Denver. Troy studied deaf education at Illinois State University and worked with handicapped refugees in Europe for the completion of his practical training. Troy earned a graduate degree in International Studies at the University of Colorado at Denver. He has continued his studies via a doctoral program in education policy. In addition, Troy has directed several non-profit international organizations. His extensive travel has included study, work and volunteering abroad throughout Europe and Russia, Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

He still works very closely with the NGO he helped found in Southeast Asia; current projects include the construction of several community centers in the Philippines and ongoing support for a street children project. Troy sits on several advisory boards and editorial boards and is the founder and former owner of International Education Programs. Troy resides in the mountains of Colorado with his wife, five children, his dog and daily house-guests from around the world.

Best Travel Day Ever: A day working triage at a medical relief clinic in Bandiphur, Nepal high in the Himalayas, ending with a musical performance of Simsime Pani Ma from the local school children. And about a million other similar experiences abroad…

Where is GoAbroad?

324 East Oak Street
Fort Collins, Colorado 80524 U.S.A.
Phone: 720.570.1702
Fax: 720.570.1703

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