Essex Abroad Team

Kristi is the Essex Abroad Manager and joined the University of Essex, taking on this role, in February 2019. Kristi is passionate about students taking on and exploring the idea of and international experiences, looking at opportunities which open their minds to the possibilities out there and learning about how it has made a difference. “It’s a big world out there and why not be a little fish in a big pond, rather than a big fish in a little pond. The Essex Abroad Team are here to guide you on your next new adventure...where will Essex Abroad take you? Where will you take yourself?”

Kristi is on maternity leave until Summer 2022.  In her absence you can contact Rosie Bonny who is the current Essex Abroad Manager.

Rosie joined the team in May 2019 having previously worked in the SWIS team at the University since 2017.  Rosie manages the Essex Abroad team and loves supporting staff and students to step out of their comfort zone and seize opportunities for personal and professional development.

Joe joined the Essex Abroad team in April 2020. After graduating from the Department of Sociology in the Summer of 2018 here at Essex, Joe went on to work as a Project Worker in the Sociology and Psychology departments. Joe then spent a year as the Project Assistant on the LEAP team before joining Essex Abroad. Joe supported the incoming team for the first four months of his time in the Essex Abroad team, before moving over to support our outgoing Essex students, whilst also coordinating our Peer Mentor programme. Joe is passionate about internationalisation in general and loves to see students trying something different, somewhere different, as it can have a hugely positive impact on them both personally and professionally.  Joe is currently the International Experience Manager and oversees all of our summer abroad programmes as well as supporting the work of the team.

Julie joined the Essex Abroad Office from its conception and remains committed to the ethos of study abroad.

Working at Essex for over 30 years now, Julie comments that it is always challenging and she never stops learning from the students she supports in their journey. It is a marvellous opportunity for students to discover themselves as well as discovering the world, to grow and to develop.  For over 10 years Julie has worked with outbound students, supporting them from their initial interest, their completion of a period of study abroad and their return to Essex.

For Julie the most rewarding aspect of her role is to see the difference that a period of study abroad makes to a student, enjoying the marked increase in their self-confidence and self-belief.

Katherine joined Essex Abroad in November 2019 having previously worked in the administration team of the LiFTS (Literature Film and Theatre Studies) department. Katherine is the adviser for Incoming Exchange and Study Abroad students alongside Chelsea Morrell. Katherine is passionate about supporting students from the beginning to the end of their exchange programme and strives to help make their experience at Essex as fulfilling and enjoyable as possible. Katherine studied Italian at university, spending a year abroad in Italy and is fully aware of how enriching and important an international experience can be!

Aga has worked at the university since 2019. She had previously worked in the Funding team and joined the Essex Abroad team in January 2022. Aga is responsible for overseeing bilateral institutional agreements with our partner universities, and the funding schemes supporting students participating in international mobility programmes. As a student she participated in the Erasmus program herself and studied in Portugal. Having experienced this invaluable opportunity, Aga is very excited to assist students on their journey.

If you have any queries regarding funding or grants for Essex Abroad please email: eagrants@essex.ac.uk

If you have any queries regarding agreements for Essex Abroad please email: eaagreements@essex.ac.uk

Chelsea joined the team in August 2017. Chelsea works alongside Katherine coordinating the incoming study abroad and exchange programmes. Chelsea is very passionate in supporting students ensuring that all of our international students are able to fully enjoy and benefit from their experience at Essex. Chelsea is the key point of contact for advice and guidance to our incoming students and has helped manage over 1000 incoming students during her time in the Essex Abroad Team.

Chorong joined the team in November 2021 having previously worked in the enrollment team of a hospitality management school in Switzerland. Working alongside Katherine and Chelsea, Chorong now supports incoming Study Abroad & Exchange students from all four corners of the world. She is passionate about assisting international students so that they can enjoy and benefit from their time at Essex to the fullest. Chorong studied Political Sciences in South Korea and lived in Canada, Switzerland, the USA, and Germany. Witnessing how diverse and exciting our world is, Chorong would like to help making incoming students’ experience at Essex as enriching and memorable as possible. 

Charlotte joined the team in September 2021. As a recent graduate Charlotte has first-hand experience of the impact COVID-19 has had on university students, university life, and international experiences that universities can offer. She is excited to work with the students at Essex supporting them to pursue their international interests now that travel for study abroad has become an option again.

Sally joined the team in July 2021 and focuses on the YUFE programme. Sally has previously worked in the Student Experience team at the University. Sally completed her studies abroad in the Netherlands so has first-hand experience of study abroad and is a dedicated member of the team who will support you throughout your YUFE journey during your time at the University of Essex. Sally is enthusiastic about study abroad in general and especially the learning opportunities available to Essex students through YUFE. Queries about the YUFE programme can be direct to Sally via yufestudentmobility@essex.ac.uk

Our Essex Abroad Ambassadors are current Essex students who have completed an Essex Abroad experience or are currently completing one!  Our Ambassador are both Essex students who are outgoing students or our incoming students who are here at Essex to complete their exchange term or year.

We will be looking for ambassadors during 2021-2022 for students who are in their study abroad location and feel they can support students who are applying for the 2022-2023 study abroad programme with information on their host university or country or other tips and tricks.

If you are one of our current study abroad cohort and are interested in becoming an ambassador please email Joe Young who will provide you with more information.  You can also become an informal ambassador by tagging us on any social media photos using the tag @essexabroad 

Email: af19080@essex.ac.uk 

Antonio completed a remote internship in 2021, via Absolute Internship, with a marketing research company based in China.  Antonio studies in the Psychology department at our Colchester campus.

You can ask Antonio about Absolute Internship (he is an ambassador for the programme), what it's like to take part in a remote internship and what it's like to study Psychology at Essex.  Antonio is also a mental health ambassador and takes on many initiatives for mental health.