RYAN CRAWFORD

Whittier College, B.A., Business Administration (minor in Spanish)

While at Whittier, Ryan focused on Spanish, playing baseball, and coaching youth baseball. After graduating, Ryan spent seven months in northeastern Thailand, teaching English to Thai high school students, traveling, and immersing himself in Thai language and culture. While in Thailand, Ryan traveled to the surrounding countries of Laos and Cambodia, and spent time with secluded hill tribes. Ryan spent two years exploring the wilderness of California’s Sierra Nevada and spends his spare time backpacking and hiking the wild places of California’s north coast, gaining an appreciation and understanding of human and natural communities living cohesively. He also volunteers at Humboldt County’s food bank and participates in various natural restoration projects, such as a weeklong project restoring the rugged Mattole River Watershed for the recovery of salmonid species. In May, Ryan received his certificate of study in environmental and natural resources planning from Humboldt State University. Ryan is proficient in Thai and Spanish, and has twice led Putney’s Cultural Exploration Thailand program.

VI NGUYEN

University of Texas at Austin, B.A., Psychology, B.A., Visual Communication, Syracuse University, M.S., Multimedia, Photography, and Design (candidate)

After completing her undergraduate studies in Developmental Psychology and Visual Communication at the University of Texas at Austin, Vi spent two years teaching English to kindergarten and university students in rural northeastern Thailand. Curious about her roots, Vi immersed herself in the cultures of Asia by traveling throughout Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, and Nepal. Upon returning to Texas, she conducted research in the field of applied behavioral analysis as a therapist to children and young adults with developmental disabilities. Vi is currently a graduate student in Multimedia, Photography, and Design at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University with a focus on social and mental health issues. In her free time, she runs marathons for the Organization for Autism Research. In spring of 2017, she spent three months traveling to regions of Vietnam that were heavily impacted during the war for her master’s project. This summer will be Vi’s fourth trip back to Vietnam. Vi is proficient in Vietnamese and Spanish and has led Putney’s Community Service Vietnam program.