LAURA PENALVER | Director
Sophia University, Tokyo, J.P., M.A., Global Studies
The University of Arizona, B.A., English Literature, Global Studies, East Asian Studies Japanese Language intensive, Spanish

Laura recently moved to Tokyo to pursue her graduate degree in Global Studies. She previously graduated with majors in English, Global Studies, and Japanese, with a minor in Spanish, as well as cum laude with honors distinction in English. As part of the elite English Honors Program, she worked on a year-long thesis project that explored racial identity construction within the African diaspora. Following graduation she worked for The International Rescue Committee, a large nonprofit organization, helping refugees resettle and become self-sufficient in Arizona. She has extensive experience volunteering in community service, serving as a family mentor for refugee families, and spending two months teaching at a children’s home in Kenya. While in Kenya, Laura was inspired by the selfless devotion of her colleagues and endeavored to raise funding to supplement the income of local teachers. Her passion for immersive travel has led her to explore Thailand, Egypt, Spain, Switzerland, Costa Rica and Cuba, among others. She has led programs in both Costa Rica and Japan through Putney Student Travel; most recently as Director of Service Costa Rica. In addition to Putney, Laura also works as a seasonal tour guide for middle school and high school trips in the United States. She is fluent in Spanish and is proficient in Japanese and Portuguese.

JESSICA HAYDON | Program Assistant
Temple University, Japan Campus, B.A., International Affairs

While at Temple University, Jessica lived in an international share house in the heart of Tokyo where she gained invaluable friendships and connections with people from all over the world including Australia, Poland, the UK, Canada, Japan, and more. She worked seasonally as a camp counselor in Niigata prefecture of Japan, an after school English teacher, and at the on-campus library. After graduating, Jessica explored various career roles. She worked at an International Preschool in central Tokyo, enjoyed a winter as a hotel staff in Hokkaido, taught English, and continued her seasonal camp counselor role. Jessica has enjoyed working in public Elementary Schools in Japan for five years. She significantly increased the enjoyment of language study while improving the school’s curriculum. Jessica is now working in Fukushima teaching English to adult overseas volunteers (in an organization similar to Peace Corps), helping to increase their ability to connect and engage with their future host country in Africa. Jessica is fluent in Japanese and has experience studying French and Spanish. Over the next year, Jessica is looking into returning to school and moving to a new-to-her country.

BRIAN DUKIE | Assistant Director
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, B.A., Journalism and Media Studies

After finishing his undergraduate studies and briefly working as a reporter in the Seattle area, Brian realized his true passion for education. He packed his bags and headed off to Japan, where he now works as a teacher at Meijo University in Nagoya. He also conducts workshops for inner city high schools, sharing his passion for teaching with the next generation. Brian was called upon to work at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, running hospitality programs at several stadiums around the city. During the winter season, he puts his language skills to use as an interpreter and concierge at a ski lodge in the Japanese Alps, catering to the needs of international travelers.

BAY ERICKSON | Japanese Cuisine & Culture
Earlham College, B.A., Japanese Language and Linguistics

While at Earlham College, Bay focused on studying many aspects of Japanese language and culture, and dedicated a significant amount of their time to working with the indigenous Ainu community of Hokkaido, Japan. They have been a recipient of multiple Freeman Awards for Study in Asia that allowed them to intern with organizations such as the Poroto Kotan Ainu Museum (now Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park) in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, Good Neighbors Japan in Tokyo, and the Biratori Municipal Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum in Biratori, Hokkaido. Bay was also a participant in Earlham’s Japan Study program where they spent six months studying at Waseda University in Tokyo. Post-college, they worked as a translator and researcher at a company which specialized in enhancing media accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing people in Osaka, Japan. They currently work with schools in the Charlotte area of North Carolina as an English Literacy Tutor, helping foster a love of learning in children who need extra help with English. Bay is fluent in Japanese, and looks forward to continually creating connections with Japan and the Japanese-English translation community this coming autumn.

DAVID SHEAR | Anime & Illustration
LIU Post, M.F.A., Art Education
School of Visual Arts, B.F.A,. Cartooning

While at School of Visual Arts, David focused on creating comics and learning illustration from contemporary working artists in the field. He then received his Master’s in Art Education from LIU Post on Long Island. David used quarantine as an opportunity to start an online class through Outschool.com focusing on one of his longtime passions: Anime. Before long, David’s “Anime Drawing Club” became one of the top Anime Art classes on Outschool. David now works as a middle school art teacher helping students with emotional disabilities learn to enjoy and love creating. This fall, David will be continuing to teach Anime Drawing Club on Outschool and will continue his work as an Art Educator with a passion for Anime and Japanese Culture.

ISSEY GLADSTON | Photography
King’s College London, B.A., Liberal Arts with a Major in Geography, minor in Politics
Oxford University, M.Sc., Nature, Society and Environmental Governance

While at King’s College London, Issey focused on developing her photography skills by documenting climate movements, interning for Magnum Photos, and taking classes at Central Saint Martins as well as assisting on commercial and editorial projects. As part of her undergraduate degree, Issey spent six months studying Japanese in Tokyo after receiving the JASSO Scholarship. The following summer she returned to Japan for two months to complete her photobook about her time in Japan. Between her undergraduate degree and postgraduate degree, Issey spent time living in China and France before returning home to work for an intersectional feminist magazine. While studying at Oxford, she combined her love for photography, activism, and environmental campaigning by researching the impact that visual digital media has on public engagement with the climate crisis. Since graduating from Oxford University, Issey has been working as a freelance photographer and creative producer. Her clients include FUJIFILM and Rolling Stone UK and her work has been published in British Vogue, PAPER Magazine, The Times, VICE and Dazed Magazine. During this period, she has also remained active in the climate space and co-founded Hothouse Book Club, a digital and IRL book club that champions a climate justice perspective. Issey is proficient in Japanese and French. This fall, Issey will be returning to London to continue working as a freelance photographer and consultant on climate crisis communication projects.

RAVI CHHATANI | Business, Banking, & Markets
Loyola University of Maryland, M.B.A., Finance
University of Maryland, B.S., Finance & International Business

While at school, Ravi focused on microfinance and the effects of global migration in the economy. After working for two years in investment banking and corporate finance, Ravi decided to sell everything he owned, pack only the necessities, and embark on a seven-month trip to Latin America. There, he focused his efforts on improving startup projects in Ecuador, Brazil, and Colombia. In his travels he discovered the virtues of panela sugar and then founded Nela Nature, a startup company that sources panela cane sugar directly from farmers in Colombia and imports it to the U.S. Ravi has grown his company to reach more than 50 clients in the D.C metropolitan area. For 10 years he has coached youth soccer, and he has also volunteered with youth in Baltimore, teaching English to teenage immigrants. Ravi is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, and Sindhi, and is proficient in French. He is also the founder & CFO of Sungate Property Management, a Baltimore-based real estate asset management company overseeing 50M in physical assets under management. He has taught at Putney Pre-College UCLA, led a Putney program in Morocco, and taught for Oxford Academia. In addition, he also takes on short-term finance consulting assignments in East Africa through USAID or the UN. Currently, Ravi splits his time between Granada, Spain, Baltimore, Maryland, and different parts of the Caribbean.

KIKI BAXTER | ​​Program Assistant
Florida Atlantic University, B.A., Psychology, B.A., Journalism

While at Florida Atlantic University, Kiki studied psychology and jump-started her career as a yoga teacher, using movement and meditation as tools for adolescent trauma recovery. She has facilitated programs for various outreach organizations in schools, recovery centers, and foster homes, in addition to working alongside international leaders in the yoga community. During her undergraduate studies, she spent time in Thailand and Costa Rica teaching English and working with undocumented children affected by human trafficking. Kiki is also a photographer, capturing the allure of communities across Indonesia, New Zealand, Central America, and parts of Europe. After completing her degrees, she was invited to Bali to document the 2011 CNN Hero of the Year, Ibu Robin Lim, who offers free birth services to combat Indonesia’s high infant and maternal mortality rates. Her photography has been published in the Huffington Post, Elephant Journal, Mantra Magazine, and more. Kiki has led Putney service programs in Nepal, Hawai’i, and Fiji, and currently works full-time at the Putney Barn on the marketing and outreach team. In her free time she hunts for vintage Pyrex and practices aerial circus arts, including flying trapeze, at the New England Center for Circus Arts.

samantha shoppell | Fashion Design & History
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Ph.D., Art Education (student)
Penn State University, M.S., Art Education
University of South Carolina, B.F.A., Art Education

After finishing her undergraduate degree in Art Education with a minor in Japanese, samantha spent five years in Shizuoka City, Japan, teaching English in public junior high and elementary schools as a Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme participant. During this time, she also began studying a variety of traditional Japanese arts including kimono (certified at lecturer rank), music (shamisen and voice), and woodblock printmaking. She also traveled throughout Japan, visiting 37 of the 47 Japanese prefectures (and is just over halfway through the 50 States). Upon returning to the U.S. to pursue studies at Penn State University, samantha began studying Japanese tea ceremony, which later became the focus of her research investigating the embodied and inter-cultural pedagogy of Japanese traditional arts as practiced in the U.S. She gained further experience in intercultural and bicultural education through her work at Keio Academy of NY as both head of a residence hall and as an art instructor. Now, as a Ph.D. student at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, samantha works as a Teaching Assistant with Japan House where, in addition to teaching, she contributed to the curriculum development of an eText and online course on Chado (The Way of Tea). She joined Putney for the 2022 Oxford Academia program where she co-taught a Japanese Language, Culture, and History major, inviting several cultural experts to give students hands-on experience. She is proficient in Japanese and continues her study of language alongside and through her ongoing practice and performance of traditional arts.

COLIN REINEBERG | Tech & Innovation
University of Illinois, B.A., Philosophy
University of the Arts (London), Diploma Creative Computing

While at University of Illinois at Chicago, Colin focused on Philosophy with an interest in aesthetics, metaphysics, and epistemology, and two years of Japanese. Upon graduating, Colin spent nearly 18 months in Japan where he taught English, studied programming, and learned Japanese. In 2022, Colin studied Creative Computing at the University of the Arts London, focusing on interactive media, design, and projection mapping. He has spent time in Thailand volunteering as a veterinary assistant with Rescue Paws, as well as organized concert tours and events with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Colin now lives and works in Berlin, Germany as a freelancing musician with their own productions and scoring music for films. This fall, Colin will be continuing to fold together and merge his interests in music, technology, and art, as well as exploring new avenues of expression and creativity.