Avanzamos Support System

Here on this page, you can find the ever-growing list of campus contacts available to support our students. This list includes faculty and staff who work or support Avanzamos and our  Hispanic and Latinx/Latine student population.

 

Ana-Sofia Alcaraz

Coordinator for Global Engagement at the Center for Global Engagement
aalcaraz@marymount.edu
Rowley G105
Languages spoke: English & Spanish fluently; Conversational French 

Ana-Sofia has worked in international higher education since 2016 and been a part of an international community since birth. She lived in Buenos Aires and Bruxelles while returning often to her homeland of Mexico. At Marymount, she has used her experience to develop programs that foster a sense of community and engage students on campus and works to mentor students in different aspects of college life. She has served as the advisor for the Latino Student Association (LSA) for 3 years and as part of Avanzamos since its inception.

 

Yessenia Arias

Licensed Psychological Counselors at Student Counseling Services
yarias@marymount.edu
Berg 1014
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish

Yessenia Arias, LPC is one of Marymount University’s Psychological Counselors and works at Student Counseling Services located in Berg 1014. She attended the College of William & Mary for her undergraduate degree and Boston College to obtain her Masters in Mental Health Counseling. Throughout her career she has worked in the D.C. and the Northern Virginia area providing therapy in Spanish and English. For the past years she has specialized in working with the immigrant community, survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse, anxiety, depression, PTSD, acculturation, bullying, and stress with adults, teens, and children as young as 8 years old.

 

Dr. Matt Bakker

Sociology Professor
mbakker@marymount.edu
Rowley G1
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish

Matt Bakker is Associate Professor of Sociology. He enjoys teaching all aspects of sociology, but especially loves teaching courses focused on global issues, social (in)justice, and movements for change. Matt’s academic research has focused on political and economic aspects of transnational migration between Mexico and the United States. He’s currently collaborating with Dr. Delario Lindsey researching community change impacting historically Black neighborhoods across the DMV.

 

Victor Betancourt

Assistant Vice President for Global Engagement 
vbetanco@marymount.edu
Rowley G105
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese

Victor possesses 20 years of experience as a leader in developing and implementing programs in international higher education and has cultivated and managed Marymount University’s international programs and activities as MU’s Chief International Officer (CIO) since he joined the university in 2005. Over the years, he has significantly increased the number of students studying abroad and expanded the study destinations of Marymount students from four countries to over 40. Victor has also led the development of short-term faculty-led programs in community nursing, forensic psychology, marine biology, education, fashion design, and other subjects in countries such as Belize, England, India, France, Italy, Greece, and others. Victor established MU’s Global Education Committee and facilitates international studies and exchanges worldwide.

He holds a BA in Russian Studies from the University of Iowa, and an MBA in International Trade from Texas A & M International University. He also did a summer program at the Business School of the Fachhochschule in Luneberg, Germany, and a year of undergraduate studies at the University of Puerto Rico.

 

Isabelle Hoagland

Visiting Graduate Assistant at the Center for Global Engagement
ihoaglan@marymount.edu
Rowley G105
Languages: English, written Spanish

Isabelle is originally from New Jersey and just returned from living in Bogotá, Colombia, where she was working as an English teacher. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Global Justice and Policy Studies with a minor in Spanish from James Madison University, and is starting her MA in International Education Policy at George Washington University in Fall 2021. Isabelle spent some time after her college graduation backpacking through South America before starting a job as a paralegal at an immigration law firm in New York. For the past year, she has been utilizing her TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification by working as an online English teacher. She is passionate about working with immigrant and refugee populations, specifically by improving their access to quality education. In her free time, Isabelle enjoys doing yoga, bullet journaling, painting, and traveling.

 

Diana Vazquez

Events Manager for Student Engagement
dvazquez@marymount.edu
Gerard 1021
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish

Diana has worked at Marymount University for approximately three years. Her work focuses on leading and providing support for Campus Wide Programming and Student Organization programming. She also manages various media platforms like the Bark Newsletter, MUEngage, Digital Signage, and Student Life’s social media.