Prospective Students Current Students Business & Industry Faculty & Staff Alumni Visitors
 

International Center
Study Abroad

Staff
Mission
Meet With an Advisor

-
Staff
Elizabeth Matthews
Director
Contact for F-1/J-1 Students, H-1B/J-1 Scholars
ematthe1@iit.edu

Elizabeth Matthews joined IIT in July of 2008. She received her bachelor's degree in English from Michigan State University and her master's degree in Higher Education from Loyola University Chicago. Her strong interest in the field of international education stems from her study abroad experiences in France, Ireland, Italy and Nepal. She has also traveled independently to much of Western Europe, Indonesia, Singapore, and Costa Rica. She lives in the Andersonville neighborhood with her husband and son. In her free time she enjoys eating out, watching movies, playing beach volleyball, going to book club, playing with her son and her dog (Jaskson), and exploring the city with her husband.

Amy Benck
Assistant Director
Contact for F-1/J-1 students
abenck@iit.edu

Amy Benck received her master's degree in Higher Education Administration from Loyola University Chicago. She has always been interested in traveling, but became passionate about international education after studying abroad and working in Scotland. When Amy is not dreaming about her next traveling adventure, she likes to explore Chicago, make jewelry, and spend time with her friends and family.

Karen Spreitzer
International Student Advisor
Contact for F-1/J-1 Students
spreitzer@iit.edu

Karen Spreitzer received a B.S. in Anthropology from Loyola University of Chicago. She worked as an archaeologist throughout the Midwest and western U.S. regions for ten years. She became interested in international services while advising graduate students from all over the world while working as the physics graduate program advisor at UIC. She has spent several months traveling in Europe. When she's not working, she enjoys writing, walking, biking, playing guitar and singing. She finished writing her first novel in 2007.

Tanya C. DePass
International Student Advisor/SEVIS Coordinator
Contact for F-1/J-1 Students
Safe Space Certified for LGBTQ Student Issues
tdepass@iit.edu

Tanya DePass received her B.S. in Human Computer Interaction from DePaul University. Previously she worked in the International Programs Office at DePaul University.  She became interested in international education after studying abroad in Osaka, Japan at Kansai Gaidai University, and loved it so much she extended a semester abroad into a year. She’s also traveled to Panama , Canada and Ecuador. In her spare time Tanya knits, games, reads science fiction and fantasy, and hangs out with her brown and black tabby, Genki, in Andersonville.

Ashley Sinclair
Coordinator of Study Abroad and Cultural programs
Contact for Current IIT Students Wishing to Spend a Term Outside the United States
asincla1@iit.edu

Ashley Sinclair fell in love with traveling while on a high school trip to Switzerland, France and England.  She received her bachelor's degree in history, anthropology and sociology with a double minor in classics and religious studies from the University of Pittsburgh, where she both studied and interned in Greece.  Through internships and volunteering at the study abroad office, she realized that she loved helping others realize the benefits of a study abroad experience.  While pursuing her master's in international education, she participated in a service-learning trip to Peru and spoke at a conference in Istanbul on the benefits of study abroad.  She has also been to Egypt, Morocco, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Portugal, and the Dominican Republic, but she looks forward to continuing to explore her hometown of Chicago and beyond.

Jennifer Sherdan
Program Assistant for Study Abroad
Contact for current IIT students wishing to spend a term outside the United States
jsherdan@iit.edu
Jennifer Sherdan first studied abroad as an undergraduate at the University of Sheffield in northern England. During the experience, she made many international friends and became passionate about travel, having since spent time in more than twenty countries. For nearly four years, she managed international research and development for the certification arm of the American Society for Clinical Pathology, which included developing partnerships with universities and other organizations abroad. Following graduate internships at the University of Chicago and Columbia College Chicago, she received her master’s degree in Higher Education from Loyola University Chicago. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Communication Studies from DePaul University.
Student Employees
Kirankumar Goni
Student Assistant & Web Admin
 
Kirankumar joined Illinois Institute of Technology in Fall 2011. He is pursuing his masters degree in Computer Science. He is very passionate about bowling and also has a lot of interest in F1 racing. He loves to watch movies and is a die-hard rock music fan. GNR and Pink Floyd are his favourite bands.

Se Yen Lai
Student Assistant
 
Se Yen will be obtaining her bachelor's degree in Architectural Engineering at the end of Summer 2012 and will be pursuing her Master's degree at IIT starting next semester. She loves meeting new people, traveling and outdoor activities.

Phalgun B Manohar Kumar
Student Assistant
 
Phalgun is pursuing his master's degree in Finance at IIT. Before joining IIT in Spring 2011, he was working in a software services company in Bangalore, India. He is passionate about traveling and photography. He also enjoys meeting people from different cultures and learning new things.

Sarah Beng Chu Lim
Study Abroad Student Ambassador
 

Sarah is a fourth-year Architecture major at IIT, minoring in Construction Management. She is currently studying abroad here in Chicago as an international student from Malaysia and is planning to do another study abroad by participating in the IIT Architecture Paris program this Fall 2011. Besides being active on campus in various organizations, such as the Student Government Association and Alpha Sigma Alpha, Sarah likes to dance, sing, travel, meet new people and learn new things about other cultures in her free time. So far, she has traveled to Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Australia, Japan, China, Taiwan, India, the U.K. and the U.S. Studying abroad here in Chicago has been an eye-opening experience for her, and she encourages all students to study abroad during their college years.


Ashish Daga
Student Assistant
 
Ashish is pursuing masters in Food Process Engineering. He likes to hang out with friends and loves to travel and meet new people.

Tiffanie Ramos
Student Assistant
 
Tiffanie obtained her B.S in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine and is now at IIT pursuing her master's degree in Environmental Engineering. She enjoys exploring new places, meeting new people, photography, origami and practicing and promoting sustainability.

Nick Forest
Student Assistant
 
Nick is a gradutae student from Dallas, Texas, pursuing his master's in Architecture. Nick graduated from Prairie View A&M University with a B.S. in Architecture and a minor in Construction Science.

Babak Akbarian
Student Assistant
 
Babak is pursuing his master's in Industrial Technology and Operations at IIT. He joined IIT in Fall 2011. He has always been interested in meeting people from different countries and learn their cultures. He enjoys traveling, climbing, reading and playing soccer.

For general inquiries, please email the International Center at icenter@iit.edu
© 2008 Illinois Institute of Technology 3300 South Federal Street, Chicago, IL 60616-3793 Tel 312.567.3000