Study Abroad Ambassadors

Study Abroad Ambassadors are study abroad alumni working with Education Abroad to help you get your questions answered. Please feel free reach out to any of these individuals via email to ask about their experiences, programs, or anything else you’re curious about!

annabelle hill

Annabelle Hill (ahill129@charlotte.edu) is a triple major in International Studies, Political Science, and French in her third year at UNC Charlotte. Annabelle first studied abroad the summer following her freshman year on a faculty-led program in Stellenbosch, South Africa where she studied Public Health and Social Justice. Then, in the Spring of her sophomore year, Annabelle studied in the small southwest town of Pau, France in intensive French courses through the affiliate provider USAC. In addition to her courses, while on her semester abroad, Annabelle travelled to Spain, Portugal, the UK, Malta, Morocco, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria. Each place she travelled and lived as part of her study abroad experience, Annabelle gained global friends and newfound confidence. She believes that study abroad can be a life changing reality for all UNC Charlotte students and is excited to help them find the right fit!

Akshitha ganta

Akshitha Ganta (aganta@charlotte.edu) is a junior studying Biology with a minor in Bioinformatics. She studied abroad during Fall 2024 at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. Studying abroad has made her passionate about global experiences and believes that everyone should take the opportunity to study abroad and travel if able. She is excited to be a study abroad ambassador to help students study abroad as well as to share her own experience studying abroad. 

gray owen

Gray Owen (gowen7@uncc.edu) is currently a senior majoring in Communications and International Business. She studied at Toyo University in Tokyo, Japan for the 2024-2025 academic school year. Her study abroad experience allowed her to further study the Japanese language, while simultaneously immersing herself in the culture. She is excited to help answer students questions about Charlotte’s study abroad programs. 

sphoorthi munnangi

Sphoorthi Munnangi (smunnang@charlotte.edu) is from Hyderabad, India. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems and a master’s in Data Science and Business Analytics at UNC Charlotte. Studying abroad has been a long-time dream for Sphoorthi, and she was thrilled to spend a semester at Kingston University in England. Her time abroad was transformative — filled with new friendships, exciting travels, and academic challenges that pushed her outside her comfort zone. The experience deepened her appreciation for diverse cultures and global perspectives, inspiring her to help other students explore the incredible opportunities that come with studying abroad.

Brittney harden

Brittney Harden (bharden2@charlotte.edu) is currently a junior studying marketing to pursue PR marketing in the future. She completed a full academic year exchange program at Kingston University in London, England. Through this program, she made lifelong friends and memories while also furthering her career through the knowledge she gained about Marketing being in London. Brittney recommends that anyone who has the opportunity to study abroad should do it because it was truly a impactful experience that you will not forget!

chelsea harden

Chelsea Harden (charden8@charlotte.edu) is a Junior at UNC Charlotte and a Political Science major. She has always wanted to travel, and thanks to the Exchange Program at UNC Charlotte, she was able to spend an academic year abroad at Kingston University in London, England. While abroad, she traveled to many different countries and even to another continent! She is excited to share her experience with others and encourage others to study abroad. 

brooke hardy

Brooke Hardy (bhardy12@charlotte.edu) is a sophomore studying International Business with a minor in Chinese language. She studied abroad in Taipei, Taiwan during the Summer 2025 semester to study Chinese at Fujen Catholic University. While studying in Taiwan, she thoroughly enjoyed speaking to the local in Chinese, going to night markets, and visiting the many cultural sites that Taiwan has to offer. 

Sarah Mccrea

Sarah McCrea (smccrea2@charlotte.edu) is currently a junior majoring in biology at UNC Charlotte. Sarah spent the Spring 2025 semester abroad studying at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. An avid traveler, Sarah is always looking forward to her next adventure. Grateful for the confidence, courage, and knowledge she gained from her time abroad, she wants to help other students develop the confidence to explore the world of knowledge that awaits them at their perfect study abroad program.

Paris Iqbal

Paris Iqbal (piqbal@charlotte.edu) is a junior at UNC Charlotte, double majoring in Finance and Marketing. In the spring of 2025, she studied abroad at Kingston University London, gaining firsthand insight into London’s finance and marketing industries while also traveling to countries such as Morocco, Greece, and Scotland. Her favorite part of the experience was discovering her independence as she realized how capable she is of navigating unfamiliar environments, making decisions confidently, and thriving outside of her comfort zone. Paris believes that every student should study abroad because it pushes you to grow in ways you don’t expect and helps you see just how big your future can be. She’s excited to help other students with everything from finding the best matcha spots to figuring out where to travel next and sharing a few stories along the way!

sophia gerz-escandón

Sophia Gerz-Escandón (sgerzesc@charlotte.edu) is a current senior at UNC Charlotte majoring in Geography. In spring 2025, she studied abroad in Brazil, at Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro. During her time abroad, she completed a 5-week pre-semester intensive Portuguese course in addition to an academic semester. Sophia hopes to continue learning Portuguese and participate in more study abroad programs as she continues her education. She also wants to share her experience and help other students who are interested in Brazil and South America. Finally, she hopes to promote international education and use her experience as a testimonial of the benefits of studying abroad.

Briana Phan

Briana Phan (bphan4@charlotte.edu) transferred to UNC Charlotte in the Fall semester of 2023. Briana is a senior, majoring in Exercise Science and minoring in Biology. She studied abroad during the spring semester of 2025 at Kingston University London, taking classes that pertained to health sciences and British culture. Apart from learning the healthcare system and culture in London, she traveled to a variety of places such as Ireland, Spain, Italy, and Morocco, immersing herself in the experience and culture. Her favorite part of studying abroad was being able to adapt to a new city and, in doing so, meeting new people as well as having the opportunity to grow to learn new things about herself. Briana encourages other students to pursue studying abroad to be able to create experiences abroad and grow individually.

Brendan Araujo

Brendan Araujo is a senior at UNC Charlotte majoring in Health Systems Management and graduating in May 2026. A non traditional student and U.S. Army National Guard veteran, his experience shaped his leadership style, commitment to service, and understanding of the diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Brendan studied abroad in Rome through CIEE, as his first time traveling outside of the United States. He approached the experience with the goal of maximizing both academic and personal growth through full cultural immersion. During the semester, he traveled to 13 countries and intentionally prioritized educational and historically significant experiences that broadened his understanding of global systems, policy, and culture.

Sydney Campbell

Sydney is a junior at UNC Charlotte. She is pursuing a double major in Criminal Justice and French, with a minor in Security and Intelligence Studies. Over the Summer of 25′, she studied abroad in London, England at the University of Westminster through CIS Abroad. While she was there, she had the opportunity to visit Paris, France where she practiced her French skills and visited old friends. She is planning to return to France to continue to study abroad in the Fall of 2026 and this trip solidified her plans to eventually move and work abroad in her future career. She is so excited to share her study abroad experience and promote education abroad with other students!

Kennedy Lee

Kennedy is currently a Junior at UNCC and went to Costa Rica for Fall 2025 to study Spanish, International Relations and Human Rights. While studying, Kennedy lived in the capital of San Jose . She also had the opportunity to visit many other cities like Puerto Viejo, La Fortuna, Uvita and Manuel Antonio. She studied abroad as a Gilman Scholar and loves the cultural exchange that comes with studying abroad.

Grace Rakeman

Grace Rakeman is currently a junior at UNC Charlotte. She studied abroad in Florence, Italy, through the affiliate provider AIFS, during the fall semester of 2025. Grace is majoring in English with a minor in History. She intends to graduate in the spring of 2027. Grace has always loved traveling, and her study abroad experience allowed her to explore Italy as well as many other places around Europe, all while making lifelong friends. She took classes that allowed her to dive deeper into her History minor, as well as Italian language and culture. Grace found studying abroad to be one of the highlights of her college experience. She hopes to share her adventures and encourage others to pursue their own study abroad journeys! 

Hannah Rowles

Hannah Rowles is a third-year student with a double major in Political Science and Global Studies and a minor in Russian. She has always loved travel and foreign languages, and she spent the fall semester of 2025 in Daugavpils, Latvia, where she studied International Relations, Political Science, and Russian in an intensive language immersion program. During the semester, she also traveled to neighboring Lithuania and Estonia. Hannah intends to graduate in the fall of 2026 and continue her studies by pursuing a graduate education abroad.