Meet Our Staff

Email: gabriel@louisiana.edu
Phone: 337.482.6819

Responsibilities:
• Lead efforts to globalize education, research and community initiatives
• Enhance the global presence of the University
• Oversee the offices of International Affairs and Study Abroad

Dr. Gabriel A. Carranza leads initiatives to enhance UL Lafayette's international reputation. He is responsible for centralizing programs the University offers to its domestic and international students and scholars, as well as, creating and developing new international programs. From 2009 to 2016, Dr. Carranza served as the Assistant Vice Provost for Global Engagement and Adjunct Research Professor in Biological Sciences at the University of North Texas. He also served as Director of the Office for Latin American Programs at Texas A&M University from 1992 to 2009. During that period, he was the Executive Director of the Texas A&M Center in Mexico and was Interim Director of the University's Institute for Pacific Asia. Dr. Carranza is also a visiting professor of Environmental and Sanitary Engineering at the State University of Ponta Grossa in Parana, Brazil.

Email: roseh@louisiana.edu
Phone: 337.482.6819

Responsibilities:
• Administer process of bringing international researchers
• Foster international engagement to promote global interests
• Facilitate the implementation of UL Lafayette partnerships

Dr. Rose Honegger has overseen the Office of International Affairs and the Intensive English Program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette since 2004. Prior to joining UL Lafayette, Dr. Honegger taught at the Intensive English Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and at the Linguistics Department at the National University of Malaysia. She works closely with all international students to facilitate graduation and a successful transition to graduate programs or pursuit of careers.

Email: meganl@louisiana.edu
Phone: 337.482.6819

Responsibilities:
• Intensive English Program administration
• F-1 and J-1 immigration advising
• Sponsored students/advisors

Megan Lachaussee Miller is a 2002 graduate of UL Lafayette's College of Education with a B.S. in Secondary Education (English) and a 2011 graduate of the M.S. Communication program. Her thesis research was dedicated to post-secondary recruitment of international students. She has also taught English, French, and ESL in Louisiana, Texas, and Massachusetts and worked as a recruiter and international admissions specialist.  She has been employed at the University since 2008 and enjoys assisting Ragin' Cajuns from all over the world.

Email: oia@louisiana.edu
Phone: 337.482.6819

Responsibilities:
• F-1 and J-1 immigration advising
• OPT & CPT processing
• SEVIS I-20 and DS-2019 document management

A native of Lafayette, Katie Louviere graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Political Science from UL Lafayette. During her time at the University, she enjoyed working in the Department of Facilities Management, as well as, other departments on campus. She loves the spirited atmosphere throughout campus and enjoys interacting with students, faculty and staff.

Email: theresa.gielissen@louisiana.edu
Phone: 337.482.6819

Responsibilities:
• Orientation & Placement
• Extracurricular Programming
• Textbook Ordering
• Curriculum Development (Reading)

Theresa developed a love of language and culture while studying Spanish and journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Her experiences learning language, living abroad, and volunteering with non-native speakers inspired her to pursue an M.A. in TESOL from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.  She has had the opportunity to teach English in Spain, Hungary, and the United States, allowing her to meet wonderful students from all over the world.  When she’s not teaching, Theresa likes to bake, swim, play the ukulele, and take up odd hobbies like dragon boating and aerial silks.

Email: aaron.gyarfas1@louisiana.edu
Phone: 337.482.6819

Responsibilities:
• Conversation Hour
• Calendar & Registration
• Facilities & Safety
• Curriculum Development (LSP)

Aaron Gyarfas completed his Master's degree in TESOL from UL Lafayette in 2017. He previously spent four years teaching English in Vietnam. While a graduate student, he worked as a tutor in the UL Writing Center and taught ESOL 102: Writing and Research About Culture for Non-Native Speakers of English. He recently worked as a Composition & Rhetoric Instructor at the South Louisiana Community College campuses in Lafayette and Crowley. His interests include cinema, literature, history, language, and travel. He has visited Cambodia, Hungary, the Netherlands, Germany, and Jamaica. He delights in helping each student reach his or her personal and professional goals.

Katelyn has always been passionate about traveling to and learning from different cultures. After completing her B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature, she spent two years living and studying Arabic in the Sultanate of Oman. She loved being the student in a language class, but found a new love of being the teacher in a language class while volunteer teaching English in Oman. Upon returning to the States, she completed her MA TESOL at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Part of her studies led her to teach at an international university in Côte d’Ivoire. Her favorite part of teaching is creating a learning environment where all students feel valued and equipped to reach their personal and professional goals.

Email: brandt.snook@louisiana.edu
Phone: 337.482.6819

Responsibilities:
• TOEFL ITP
• Technology
• Weekly newsletter
• Curriculum Development (Writing)

Originally from Michigan, Brandt moved to Louisiana in 2011 to pursue a Master’s degree in Rhetoric & Composition. While working in the English Department’s Writing Center, he discovered an interest in ESL studies by working with international students. Brandt enjoys road trips and local festivals, and can usually be found at UL’s pool swimming laps.

Email: iep@louisiana.edu
Phone: 337.482.6819

Mr. Howard Varnado graduated from Louisiana College in 1968 with a degree in social studies and English education. While in college, he worked as a grader in the English department. Following college, he became involved in working with international students. He has taught English in several states including Louisiana, Kentucky, and New York. For over 25 years, he has traveled extensively to Central America, Europe, and India doing missionary work. He has taught at the Intensive English Program since 2012. His goal is to see every student become proficient in the English language.

Irene Reyes is a graduate student in the Master of Business Administration program. She has a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She is from San Pedro Sula, Honduras. She chose UL Lafayette because of its high-quality MBA program, friendly atmosphere, and all of the diverse opportunities available to international students.

Max Villagomez is pursuing his Master's degree in English with a concentration in TESOL. He earned a B.A. in English from Delaware State University. Max is originally from Eatontown, New Jersey. He chose UL Lafayette to further his education and to challenge himself by 'stepping out of his comfort zone' and immersing himself in a new culture.

Maura Dupré is an undergraduate student majoring in Moving Image Arts with a minor in Advertising. She is originally from Baton Rouge and decided to attend UL Lafayette because of the friendly community and rich Cajun culture. She appreciates the cultural diversity of the area and the artistic community Lafayette is known for.

Zayira Quiroz is an undergraduate student from Ecuador. She came to Louisiana three years ago as an exchange student and fell in love with the culture and food. After studying at LSU-Alexandria for a year, she transferred to UL Lafayette to study political science with a concentration in International Relations. She chose UL because of the opportunities and scholarships for international students that the University offers.

Militza Varela is an undergraduate student majoring in nursing. She came to Louisiana  from Venezuela to learn English at UL Lafayette's Intensive English Program. After studying at South Louisiana Community College, she transferred back to UL. She has been granted three scholarships by the University. She chose UL Lafayette because the University offers excellent opportunities for international students and it is one of the few universities in America to offer scholarships to international students.