Faculty and Staff

Chile: Cultural Identity, Social Justice, and Community Development

Mark Sinclair, Academic Director

Mark Sinclair, Academic Director
Mark Sinclair holds a master of arts in educational policy and administration from the Comparative and International Development Education Program at the University of Minnesota (1998). His graduate research analyzed “The 900 Schools Program,” an educational reform effort developed during the first democratic government in Chile after the Pinochet dictatorship. Mark's primary interests lie in the fields of education and development in Latin America. Previous work in these fields included positions with the University of Minnesota and the American Friends Service Committee’s program in Chile. He has significant experience working with experiential education and service-learning in both countries with substantial background in program design, delivery, and evaluation. Prior to joining SIT, Mark served as both the academic director and educational advisor for the Chilean-North American Cultural Institute in Valparaiso.  Mark holds dual U.S. and Chilean citizenship.

Sandra Rojas, Assistant Academic Director

Sandra Rojas, Assistant Academic Director 
Sandra “Choqui” Rojas holds a licentiate degree in special education from the Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (1989) and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in education with a focus on community-based education. Choqui brings a wealth of experience to the program having worked with SIT for many years. She began working with SIT as a Spanish instructor in 1993 and has been the Spanish program coordinator since 2000, developing innovative language learning approaches. She served as interim academic coordinator twice in past semesters during which time she led the Northern Chile excursion. She has also coordinated the program’s homestay component. 

In addition to her work with SIT, Choqui has taught and oriented foreign students in local Chilean universities and has conducted SIT language teacher trainings in several Latin American countries. Choqui has worked for several years at a local NGO assisting at-risk youth and their families. 

Juan Carlos “Danko” Ulloa, Program Assistant
In his role as program assistant, a position he has held since 2004, Danko handles logistical and administrative responsibilities and provides a wealth of wisdom, resources, and good humor. He brings 30 years of active experience and intimate knowledge on human rights and social justice issues in Chile. He also provides support to the program’s different academic and student affairs components as needed. 

Karina Bilbao, Homestay Coordinator
After becoming the proud mother of her first child, Vicente, in August 2009, Karina resumed the position of homestay coordinator, a position she has held since 2008. She has a degree in cultural tourism management from the University of Valparaíso (2006) and worked for several years with foreign students at this university prior to joining SIT Study Abroad.  In addition to her professional skills, Karina draws on her own personal study abroad experience, having lived and studied in Utah for two years. Karina works with each of the students and host families to ensure a rewarding homestay experience.

Pedro Alfaro, Spanish Program Coordinator
A Spanish teacher for the program since 2002, Pedro assumed the role of Spanish program coordinator in the fall of 2009. In this role, he applies his expertise in guiding the program’s staff of talented language teachers, who are all specialists in teaching Spanish as a second language at the university level. A proud native of Valparaíso, Pedro holds licentiate dual degrees in education and Hispanic literature and language from the Universidad Católica de Valparaíso where he currently teaches Spanish as a second language. In 2007, he completed a master’s degree in Hispanic philology from the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas in Madrid where he also conducted research at the Real Academia Española de La Lengua.

Walkiria Jorquera, Community Work Program Coordinator
“Walki” joined the program last semester as the community work program coordinator. She currently works as a social worker with COTRA, a local NGO supporting at risk families and youth in the Valparaíso area.  Since 1993 she has worked professionally and as a community volunteer with a variety of community-based and nonprofit organizations that serve marginalized groups such as low-income women and street children. Walki has also been a longtime human rights activist both in Chile and Sweden where she lived after being exiled for her opposition to the Pinochet dictatorship. She holds a licentiate degree in social work from the Universidad Católica de Valparaíso and has been an ISP advisor to past SIT students.