Patricia Sagasti Suppes, PhD

Sagasti Suppes, PhD, who immigrated from Peru as a child, started her work with immigrant communities in the United States when, at the age of sixteen, she completed a training course on teaching English as a second language and proceeded to teach on a volunteer basis in evening programs through the Northern Virginia Literacy Council. She earned her bachelor's from Sweet Briar College with majors in Spanish and French, and a minor in English. She then went on to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco, working with rural communities to improve health and hygiene, focusing most of her work on the needs of women and children. After her service, she studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned a master's and a PhD in Latin American literature. She is currently associate professor of Spanish and former director of international programs at Ferrum College, and is associate director in the U.S. of Cormack Consultancy Group, which facilitates international partnerships for universities. Her current research and ongoing projects involve all aspects of the internationalization of the campus and the celebration of diversity in the community, and she is co-editing a book titled Transnational American Spaces. She is a member of NAFSA’s Trainer Corps, and recently participated in NAFSA Advocacy Day.