Publication Date: July 13, 2016
Publication Location: BRATTLEBORO, VT
Contact: Kathryn Schoenberger   |   [email protected]

World Learning is proud to announce Carla Lineback has been named director of alumni engagement. She most recently served as associate dean for academic affairs for the School for International Training.

Carla’s family’s involvement in World Learning/SIT began in 1954 and she now hopes to foster new connections among alumni. Carla has a remarkable connection to the organization: “I grew up on this campus. My connection with the organization – it’s part of my family. It’s in my blood.”

In 1954, Carla’s father, Alvino Fantini, participated in The Experiment in International Living’s program to Mexico. He later led Experiment groups and became a full-time staff and faculty member. His wife, Beatriz, is an alumna of SIT Graduate Institute and just retired after 50 years with the organization. Following in Alvino’s footsteps, Carla and her brother, Mario, participated in The Experiment and led groups. Mario also is an alumnus of SIT Graduate Institute.

Carla’s first experience working with World Learning was with the organization’s 1994 Youth Adventure Camp, an intensive English language program for international students. Since then she has worked with The Experiment in International Living, during which time she led programs to Mexico, Japan, Chile, and Italy. She has also taught Spanish to SIT Graduate Institute students and was a senior program facilitator and assistant program coordinator for the Jóvenes en Acción program, a four-week summer leadership and civic education exchange program in the United States for Mexican high school students. She grew up and now lives in Dummerston, Vermont, with her husband Eric and two-year-old daughter, Alina.

Beyond her on-campus work, Carla’s experiences and studies have taken her across the world. She has taught English in Japan and Venezuela, and took time off from World Learning to pursue a master’s degree in peace and conflict resolution from International Christian University in Japan. As an undergraduate, she studied Italian language and literature and spent an academic year in Italy. She is also a Rotary World Peace Fellow, and co-founded NewGen Peacebuilders, which brings peace education to students ages 14 to 24.

“My interests have always aligned with World Learning and SIT,” Carla says. “I’ve had a longtime connection to teaching English, peace issues, and development/sustainability. Maybe this place shaped my interests, or my interests just match well!”

Carla hopes that her own experiences will offer an easy connection with alumni of World Learning/SIT. She already has plans for fostering connections in the entire global alumni network, beginning with looking for volunteers to help with alumni gatherings domestic and abroad via regional alumni clubs. Other plans include newsletters, mentoring programs, and a particularly helpful online addition: “Right now, people who are looking for other alumni have to email us. We’re launching a new online platform so people can do their own directory searches.”

She also invites alumni with ideas for ways the office can offer support to get in touch. “We want to get them engaged. And we want to hear what they’re doing, so we can help celebrate that. We want to share their stories.”

To find out how you can stay connected, contact Carla at (802) 258-3266 or via email at [email protected].