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U Community Invited to Support Pakistanis Impacted by Record Floods

Dr. Amir M. Arain, U Health professor and epileptologist, was born in MirpurKhas, Pakistan and spent most of his life in the bustling port city of Karachi. Though Arain's medical career ultimately led him to settle in the U.S. Mountain West, a large part of his heart has always remained in his native South Asia. His thoughts have turned often to Pakistan lately, as much of the country is besieged by the worst floods in recorded history.

“I am from the Sindh Province, which has been worst hit in this flooding due to all of the tributaries that feed the Indus overwhelming this final stretch of the river. My father, siblings, and extended family all live in regions that have been affected by the flooding as well,” he said.

Arain is inviting the U community to help send funding to the millions of Pakistanis impacted by the country's recent record-breaking floods.

HELP NOW

 

The U in Pakistan

The University of Utah has had a close relationship with Pakistan for several years. In addition to having 42 faculty members and 20 international students from the country, the U has led two multi-million dollar USAID-funded capacity building projects in Pakistan: The U.S.-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCASW) ran from 2014 to 2019, and the Higher Education Systems Strengthening Activity (HESSA) launched in 2021 and is currently providing technical assistance to 15 Pakistani higher ed Institutions to increase employability of graduates. This summer, the U hosted a group of Vice Chancellors from the HESSA partner institutions and Arain helped welcome them to Utah.

Many of the Pakistan HESSA partner institutions are also supporting those impacted by the floods. Learn more about these initiatives.

About the Flooding

After suffering a terrible heatwave this summer, Pakistan then received up to 460 percent of its average monsoonal rainfall between June and mid-August. Making matters worse, Pakistan plays host to more glaciers than any region on Earth outside of the polar regions. This year's higher-than-average temps accelerated their melting, causing three times the number of glacial lake outburst floods as usual.

The resulting devastation in Pakistan has been described as "apocalyptic" and "incomprehensible." At the height of the disaster, it was estimated that one-third of the country was under water and 33 million people are affected. The Washington Post reported on September 9 that nearly 1,400 people have died due to the floods, of which almost 500 were children. The Pakistani government estimates 30 billion dollars in damage.

“There are displaced people in every village in Sindh. Thousands of mud homes have sunk under water. People affected by floods have lost their homes, livelihoods and, in some cases, their family members. There is no electricity in most villages. Mosquito infestation is in full swing, clean water is difficult to get, and children have developed waterborne diseases and dengue fever,” said Arain.

How You Can Help from Utah

Arain is working with the Pakistan Association of Utah to send funding for flood relief through Helping Hand for Relief and Development and the Imran Khan Flood Relief Fund.

U community members interested in contributing can donate funds via Venmo (@UtahPakistanis).

"We selected these two organizations because they are reliable and have boots on the ground to distribute resources quickly and directly," said Arain. "The need will persist for a long time. This is an enormous disaster, and it will take long-term support to help the people of Pakistan recover."

University of Utah and BYU receive $7 million from Department of Education

The University of Utah, in partnership with Brigham Young University, has been awarded $7 million from the U.S. Department of Education to support international education and language study over the next four years. The Title VI National Resource Center and Foreign Language and Area Studies grants will provide funding directly to the Center for Latin American Studies, Asia Center, and their BYU counterparts and will earmark $4.5 million for student scholarships. This is the fourth time the Asia Center has been awarded these four-year grants and the third time for the Center for Latin American Studies.

Learn More

U Welcomes Ukrainian Athletes to Campus & Collects Relief Supplies

In partnership with the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, the U welcomed 10 members of Ukraine’s National Curling team to campus housing for the summer. This all-encompassing humanitarian and sporting initiative aims to provide a safe haven and training opportunities amid unrest and turmoil in the team’s home country.

The nine athletes and their coach arrived in Salt Lake City on May 10, before moving on campus.

Over the next three days, the team toured their on-campus residence hall, the Student Life Center facilities, various dining locations including Kahlert Village and the Student Union and the services available to them at the J. Willard Marriott Library. The week finished with a welcome breakfast held at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The athletes toured the Student Life Center with wide eyes, smiles and visible excitement at the quality of the equipment. The tour of the J. Willard Marriott Library was met with similar excitement when shown the breadth of services such as computer labs, gaming systems and podcasting equipment they are able to utilize during their stay. And they didn’t want to leave the football field when touring the stadium.

As a leader in both Olympic and Paralympic sport and championing the resettlement of refugees from around the world, Utah is uniquely qualified to provide world-class training and stability to these athletes, coaches and family members. An estimated 65,000 refugees, former refugees and their children live in Utah, according to a 2021 Utah WorkForce Refugee Services report. Athletes from over 30 countries train or compete in the state each year.

“Utah has a long and proud legacy of welcoming refugees to our state,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. “This is an incredible opportunity to support our Ukrainian friends in pursuing their goals in sport and life.”

The second group of approximately 40 athletes, coaches and family members arrived in June with housing and freestyle skiing training at Utah Olympic Park along with additional training resources at the USANA Center of Excellence. Freestyle skiing encompasses the disciplines of aerials, moguls, freeskiing and ski-cross combining traditional skiing with acrobatics.

Every aspect of the group’s transportation, lodging, training and meal costs is fully covered for the duration of their stay through a public and private fundraising effort organized through the Community Foundation of Utah and Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation. Both organizations are working closely with Sergey Bubka—a four-time Olympian, Olympic gold medalist and senior vice-president of World Athletics and president of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine—to ensure all of the athletes’ needs are met.

Through generous contributions, including the $200,000 pledge from the Larry H. & Gail Miller Foundation as well as private donations from Matthew and Tatiana Prince, all contributions from the public will be matched up to $400,000—providing a potential $800,000 for the Ukrainian group.

Also this spring and summer, Dr. Bogdana Schmidt of University of Utah Health led a collaborative effort with the Office for Global Engagement to collect supplies for direct shipment to Ukraine amidst the athletes’ arrival. Over the span of four months between March and July, 1,100 boxes were collected from various campus locations and stored in the Carolyn & Kem Gardner Commons building, as well as in Dr. Schmidt’s own home.

Schmidt remarked that the endeavor received overwhelming support, for which she will be forever grateful. “I can’t help but think how many kids will be receiving this aid gathered by our community and how impactful it will be on their lives and in restoring their faith in humanity,” said Schmidt.

On July 13, 2022, the curling team helped load the last shipment of 155 boxes into a moving truck to send to their home country, offering an emotional conclusion to Dr. Schmidt’s and the Office for Global Engagement’s supply drive.

“I believe it’s very natural and appropriate that Utah steps up and supports Ukraine’s winter sports teams,” said Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation CEO Colin Hilton. “We have amazing resources and a caring and hospitable community that knows when there is a need we can help with, we do something about it. Our Legacy Foundation looks forward to coordinating services for these young athletes, coaches and family members from Ukraine.”

Ukrainian athletes have recently competed in Utah in aerials, Nordic combined and short track speed skating competitions held in Park City and Salt Lake City.

Learn more about the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation Ukraine Outreach Program.

International Night returns along with several revamped ISSS programs

One of the University of Utah’s beloved annual events, International Night, will be making its in-person return on Friday, November 18 of this year, for the first time since 2019.

The night will include food, performances from international students and local groups, and tabling by international student clubs as a way to celebrate the diverse global population at the U.

The effort is spearheaded by the International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS)’s new Orientation Coordinator, Addison Eckhoff (BA Linguistics & Religious Studies ’18 / MA Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies ’20), who is revamping a number of ISSS programs, the capacity of which were greatly limited during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of these is the International Ambassador program, through which students (predominantly international) offer a comprehensive and engaging orientation geared specifically toward incoming international students.

International orientation was held online through electronic forms and webinars from 2020 through the spring of 2022. In preparation for this fall semester, however, the 10 newly-appointed international ambassadors hosted a hybrid orientation, and plan to hold social events throughout the year to help international students get adjusted to life in the U.S., and feel at home at the U.

“I am so excited about the new opportunities that we have for this semester and into the future,” says Eckhoff. “After the pandemic slowed down our in-person capabilities, we had to adjust … Now that we are able to meet in-person much more, we look forward to reimagining what our international orientation and engagement process looks like.”

Another exciting resurgence is that of the International Student Council (ISC), a student organization supervised by ISSS whose purpose is to provide resources and support to the U’s international student community.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, ISC remained active through online events and limited-capacity, in-person gatherings. The group held a fully synchronous International Night in the spring of 2021, complete with a K-Pop dance tutorial and breakout rooms for cultural awareness education.

In the following fall semester, ISC hosted an International Showcase, where cultural clubs at the U tabled and shared parts of their cultures, safely distanced from one another.

This fall, the International Student Council will once again take on the responsibility of hosting a large-scale, in-person International Night as the headlining event for International Education Week. The event aims to spotlight the diverse international community and bring the greater University community together as well.

“We are very much looking forward to holding in-person events and fostering a sense of community for our international students after three long years. We will offer as much as we can to help all international students this year,” says Andy Pan, peer advisor for ISSS and the 2022-2023 vice president for ISC.

International Education Week 2022 will take place from Monday, November 14 through Friday, November 18 this fall. The week is a unique collaborative effort between several departments at the U – including all three Global U offices, the Hinckley Institute of Politics, the Center for Business, Health, and Prosperity, the Center for Ethnic Student Affairs, the International Studies Program, the Division of Public Health, and the University of Utah Asia Campus.

The week will include a series of both in-person and virtual events aimed at increasing awareness of the international community at the U, and educating the public through direct engagement with diverse cultures from around the world.

 

For more information on International Education Week, head over to global.utah.edu/iew.
To learn more about the revitalized ISSS programs, visit isss.utah.edu.
Applications for International Student Council membership can be found on getinvolved.utah.edu (look for the International Student Council on the website).

 

Measuring the Advantages of Learning Abroad

Higher education professionals agree that learning abroad fosters growth, but it is much harder to quantify exactly how a student’s intercultural skills change through those international experiences. The University of Utah Learning Abroad office set out on a mission to measure that growth several years ago and shared their recently-launched method with other learning abroad professionals at a June conference hosted by NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

“There’s a lot that says ‘if you go abroad, you gain skills.’ But you have to have a really intentional program design to actually articulate those outcomes,” said Katrina Brown, former Associate Director for Learning Abroad at the U.

Brown, along with Beth Laux, President/CEO of Quest Cultural Solutions and former Dean of International Programs at Pepperdine University, and Alexis Greene, Intake Advisor for University of California, San Diego’s International Students & Programs Office, were invited to NAFSA to share their guidance on creating purposeful programming with measurable outcomes.

“Our understanding of how study abroad programs support intercultural learning has changed in the past twenty years,” said Laux, who is also the former Director for Learning Abroad at the U. Laux began researching learning outcomes of study abroad in 2014 at the U and used her findings into improve programs for the U’s Learning Abroad office. Brown joined the office soon after and, together, they worked with their team on developing tools that can demonstrate through data that students understand the world differently before and after their experiences abroad. Even though both are now in new positions, the two have stayed close through this research and their passion for international education.

Central to their approach is the implementation of customized pre- and post-trip testing tools that reveal how students grow during their learning abroad experiences. “We really wanted to show concretely that learning abroad is more than just travel. It’s not a vacation. It’s not just a trip. It’s a deeply academic experience that fits into the university’s larger mission,” said Brown.

U students are now required to complete surveys and reflection exercises to better understand their intercultural skills before and after their international experience. Learning Abroad launched the survey in 2019 and is now on the cusp of gathering enough data to interpret the results.

These outcomes could help students understand just how impactful learning abroad can be and what specific benefits it holds for them. Such insights also carry important lessons for faculty and administration regarding what types of experiences and curriculum delivery are most impactful for students.

“It’s taken a lot of intentional work to get to this point, and it was exciting to present our process to our peers. We wanted to give them the tools to go back and make this happen at their institutions, in a way that makes sense for their unique demographics and goals,” said Brown.

Learning Abroad’s new director Alexandra Wallace is excited to dive into the data to learn how it can shape program offerings going forward.

U Helps Prepare Pakistani Higher Ed to Meet Market Needs

A group of eight university Vice Chancellors from Pakistan recently spent a week training at the University of Utah as part of the Higher Education Systems Strengthening Activity (HESSA)–a USAID-funded, U-led project. During their one-week visit in July, the education leaders toured U facilities and learned more about U.S. university management.

Pakistan’s population is the youngest it’s ever been, with about two-thirds of the total population under 30 years of age, according to the UNDP Pakistan’s National Human Development Report. Readying that influx of youth for a successful transition to the job market is paramount to the country’s long-term success. However, Pakistani employers report gaps in graduate preparedness. That’s why the $19 million USAID’s HESSA project is aimed at boosting Pakistan’s higher education ecosystem and better preparing graduates to meet the needs of the modern workplace.

In 2021, the University of Utah was selected as the lead implementation partner of USAID’s HESSA, thanks in large part to the U’s experience with educational capacity building in Pakistan. Partner institutions include the University of Alabama and the Institute of International Education (IIE). Over the course of five years, the trio will work with 15 universities in Pakistan to strengthen their leadership practices; approach to curriculum, research, and industry partnerships; and student life initiatives.

“The Pakistani delegation graciously hosted our U representatives during several recent trainings in Pakistan. The team was excited to return the hospitality and welcome these Vice Chancellors to our beautiful Utah campus,” said U Civil and Environmental Engineering Chair Michael Barber, who is also principal investigator for USAID’s HESSA. “We were able to exchange ideas, showcase what makes the U a world-class institution, and continue to build partnerships that will advance the caliber of our respective universities and graduates.”

“The University of Utah has much to offer in terms of demonstrating how higher ed can evolve, respond to the moment, and truly lead-out on contemporary issues,” said Cheri Daily, executive director of the U’s Global Program Development Marketing & Communications and project manager for USAID’s HESSA. “The process of sharing will also help U leaders to reflect on how the campus continues to develop as a global thought leader.”

The July visit is the first of many trainings that will help higher education professionals witness first-hand some of the best practices in U.S. higher education management and then implement their findings within their local context in Pakistan.

While on campus, the Vice Chancellors attended workshops and meetings with U administrators, research faculty, student life professionals, and state legislators. Topics of conversation included:

  • Leading a research university in the “new normal.”
  • International research and collaboration to solve global problems.
  • Forwarding an equity, diversity, and inclusion agenda.
  • Integrating disability services across a university.
  • The benefits of technology and venture commercialization.

“This week was a great learning experience as a leader. When you see something amazing, you start believing you can do the same thing. Being at the University of Utah increased my own imagination, to aim high and think high,” said Dr. Zahour Ul Haq, Vice Chancellor at Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan.

Dr. Saima Hamid, Vice Chancellor at Fatima Jinnah Women University echoed this sentiment. “This experience was invigorating and energizing,” she said. “The scale of the University of Utah is amazing. It was important to see how the U’s systems work. We have lots to learn and are taking home lots of ideas to implement.”

…

The Higher Education System Strengthening Activity (HESSA) exists to address Pakistan’s mismatch in supply and demand of workforce development. Launched in 2021, the five-year project will increase the employability of the Pakistani workforce through trainings to improve Higher Education graduate capacity, relevance, adequacy, and inclusivity.

Lilly’s Passion for Korean “Trot” Music Paves Path to U Asia Campus

“When I listen to trot music, I get excited. I’m studying abroad to learn Korean”

(Trot music – a traditional Korean pop music style that is mainly enjoyed by middle-aged and older generations)

“My name is Lilly. I came to the University of Utah Asia Campus in Incheon to learn Korean. I like Trot songs.”

The blue-eyed American with immaculate Korean fluency is Lilly Ann Martinescu, 19, a student at the University of Utah Asia Campus located in Songdo International City, Incheon.

Lilly hails from Albuquerque, New Mexico, which is mainly known in South Korea as the set of the global television phenomenon Breaking Bad. Her Korean is excellent. She speaks, writes, and understands most conversations accurately.

“The sentence ’I love you’ in Korean can be expressed in many different ways but convey the same meaning. That idea was really interesting to me.”

Born to an American mother and a father who immigrated from Romania to escape political pressure from the former Soviet Union, Lilly was homeschooled since the age of 12. Under the influence of her mother, who worked for a travel agency, she began studying languages from around the world. “I learned Romanian from my father, and I was able to learn Spanish naturally because my hometown borders Mexico,” says Lilly, “I also learned Japanese by watching Japanese animation and dramas, and I learned Korean for the first time as I fell in love with the charm of Korean pop.”

 “A lot of my friends like Korean pop artists like BTS, but I like Korean Trot music. I get excited when I listen to it. I’ve watched every single TV Trot contest.”

Lilly’s phone is filled with playlists that include songs by famous Korean Trot singers like Na Hoon-ah, Lim Young-Woong, Park Sang-Chul, Kim Na-hee, and Song Ga-In. As a communication major, Lilly is very interested in Korean media content. She currently receives scholarships working three days a week as a video production intern as well.

Lilly’s main reason for choosing to attend the University of Utah was because of the Asia campus in Korea. After learning that the U’s Global LEAP program allows first-year students to study in Korea for a semester, she submitted her application without hesitation. The added bonus of being able to take Chinese and Korean classes in addition to meeting various students from around the world at the Incheon Global Campus gave her even more reason to apply.

“I initially enrolled in the Salt Lake City campus, but I’m officially transferring to the Asia campus next semester. I want to continue studying in a global environment.”

From Kearns to Korea – Christina Nguyen’s once-in-a-lifetime experience at the U Asia Campus

Christina Nguyen ’25 is a recent graduate of Kearns High School in Salt Lake City, and is now a psychology major at the University of Utah. But unlike most of her peers who joined her in this year’s freshmen class at the U in Salt Lake City, Christina paved her own path by starting directly at the U’s Asia Campus in Incheon, South Korea in the fall of 2021.

During her time at Kearns High, Christina was not even considering studying abroad. However, when she happened upon the U Asia Campus through the U’s website, she knew the international experience was exactly what she wanted.

“I had been in Utah my whole life and I wanted to experience something different” says Christina, “being able to experience and live in another country is something most people don’t get to do. The U Asia Campus allows you to pursue a U.S. degree in South Korea, which really appealed to me.”

Other unique aspects of the U Asia Campus – smaller class sizes, weekly on-campus events and individual attention from faculty members – solidified her decision to begin her university career in South Korea. Added perks such as safety, ease of transportation and the country’s beautiful sights, Christina mentions, were pleasant surprises.

Christina admits studying in Korea came with its challenges as well. The culture shock of moving to a country halfway across the world, paired with the sudden push from the comfort of home to complete independence were difficult for Christina at first.

Even so, Christina was determined to make the most out of her experience at the U Asia Campus.
Seeing opportunities to be more involved in the campus community, she now works as a student ambassador for the admissions office, promoting the Asia Campus to prospective students. She also works as a floor representative in the Incheon Global Campus dormitories, coming up with events and offering support for her dorm’s residents.

Outside of school, Christina is learning as much about South Korea as possible. Trips to Busan, Jeju Island and Geojae Island are marked in her planner; and her hobbies range from shopping at Korea’s countless clothing stores, to learning traditional Korean calligraphy.

Now a seasoned international traveler, Christina has some words of advice for current high school and university students who are curious about learning abroad: “If you are interested in studying abroad, do it! You only live once and being able to live in and experience another country is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“My friend showed me a quote that said, ‘In the alphabets B-C-D, B stands for birth and D stands for death. In between is C, which stands for choice.’ I never wanted to live my life in regret so I chose the U Asia Campus, and I’ve never regretted my decision.”

New Global U Leaders Bring Fresh Expertise

Three new leaders will soon join the University of Utah’s Office for Global Engagement (OGE). The three will offer vision and oversight for outgoing student mobility; support for incoming international students and scholars; and program development and risk mitigation, respectively.

  • Alexandra Wallace will fill the role of Director for Learning Abroad in mid-May,
  • Anastasia Fynn will become the U’s new Director of International Student & Scholar Services in July, and,
  • Parker Pflaum will join the office as the new Associate Director for Global Engagement and Risk Management at the beginning of June.

“These are critical roles for our campus as we strive to meet this moment of engaging globally in a pandemic-impacted world,” said Brian Gibson, the U’s Chief Global Officer. “Each of these individuals was selected for the wealth of personal and professional experience, and deep regard for the importance of international education they offer.”

Gibson noted that the incoming directors’ efforts will focus on ushering in, “a new era of collaboration, both within OGE, as well as with other administrative offices and academic units at the U. Our campus will benefit greatly from their leadership as we seek to be even more globally-engaged as an institution.”

Learn more about each of the new directors:

Alexandra Wallace

Alexandra Wallace

Alexandra Wallace

Alexandra Wallace joins the University of Utah as the Director of Learning Abroad. Having initiated a variety of learning abroad programs throughout her career, in particular freshman year programs, her professional expertise will be critical as OGE works to reimagine and restructure the U’s approach to learning abroad.

Wallace will be responsible for providing leadership to the Learning Abroad team and serving as a campus advocate for academic programs abroad. She has been in the field of International Education for well over a decade, with a background in English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction in China, South Korea, and Costa Rica; F-1 student advising; and faculty-led program development and implementation.

Most recently, she served as the Manager of Global Faculty-Led Programs at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. There, Wallace worked to develop new programs with faculty, mapped out short-term and semester programs with providers, and tirelessly ensured students’ success abroad.

“I believe the world needs international education now more than ever. Our students can impact their communities by learning abroad and building bridges with others,” said Wallace. “I’m excited to join a team that strives to provide programming that creates a sustainable community that puts diversity, inclusion, and equity in its core values.”

Wallace traces her passion for international education back to her semester abroad as an undergraduate student in Nanjing, China. While in her master’s program, she also completed a month-long, faculty-led program in Costa Rica, where she received her TESOL certificate. Alexandra has a B.A. in International Relations and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Arkansas. She also holds an M.A. in International Education from SIT Graduate Institute.

In her free time, Wallace enjoys making tagines, shopping for antiques, and, of course, exploring the world.

Anastasia Fynn

Anastasia Fynn

Anastasia Fynn

As an international student and an immigrant from Ghana, Anastasia Fynn’s lived experience will inform her empathetic approach to leading the U’s Office of International Student and Scholar Services. “I am eager to leverage my deep understanding of international student life and immigration policies to help facilitate student resettlement and transition procedures,” said Fynn.

Fynn has a decade of experience in international education, and was most recently the Director for International Student & Scholar Office at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. She brings experience in providing strategic vision and leadership, ensuring immigration compliance, training and coaching, overseeing operations and workflow management, liaising with campus stakeholders and providing programmatic support for international students and scholars services.

Fynn is passionate about international student advocacy and believes there is a direct correlation between academic success and immigration compliance. To this end, she volunteers for several International Education organizations, such as the Association of International Education (NAFSA).

“I believe in an interdependent world, where it is essential for students, faculty, and staff to have the opportunity to become personally and intellectually familiar with the people, ideas and customs of other nations,” Fynn said. “Such interaction not only promotes a universal perspective and intellectual growth, but it also contributes to the cultural and economic well-being of the university.”

Fynn holds a B.A. in English and Political Science from the University of Ghana and an MBA in International Business from Strayer University. She enjoys cooking and sharing new recipes, travel, reading, watching jeopardy, and spending time with her family.

Parker Pflaum

Parker Pflaum

Parker Pflaum

Parker Pflaum has lived in numerous countries and personally contributed to multiple learning abroad programs—both as participant and planner. This background makes him intimately familiar with the inherent risks facing students who study abroad. Parker’s entrepreneurial background will be especially useful as OGE spearheads a number of new initiatives and programs.

“I’m looking forward to thoughtfully developing new opportunities—especially for underrepresented and diverse students—to participate in off-campus programs. I hope to help resolve any process barriers and roadblocks which prevent or discourage students from studying abroad,” said Pflaum. He will also be tasked with monitoring the U’s post-pandemic risk management processes to ensure participant health and wellbeing.

Pflaum was most recently Assistant Director of Study Away and Global Learning at Concordia College, where he led a team that increased study abroad participation to pre-pandemic levels, managed over 70 learning abroad programs, and built out several new programs and partnerships.

For nine years, Pflaum lived out of a backpack on the road, managing experiential and immersive cultural-exchange programs for Where There Be Dragons (an international school in Boulder, Colorado) in 15 developing countries. He holds an M.A. in East Asian Regional Studies from Harvard University and a B.A. in Chinese and History from the University of Florida.

Pflaum enjoys getting lost in cities, high and low brow reading, biking in urban areas, gardening, and walking really long distances.