Adriana Castelo is the Assistant Director of Exchange Programs in ISSS. Adriana is responsible for the daily operations and student services of all University-wide inbound exchange programs. 

Adriana holds an M.Ed. from the University of Minnesota, an M.A. in TESOL from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and a B.A from Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Adriana is originally from Quito, Ecuador and has worked in the field of second language education for 12 years in her home country and the United States. 

She was an exchange student at the University of Minnesota in 2011, and because of her unforgettable experience as a UMN Gopher she decided to focus her career in international education to help future international students make the most out of their college experience at the University of Minnesota. Prior to starting at ISSS, she worked as an International Student Advisor at the Minnesota English Language Program (MELP) at the UMN and as an English Language Trainer at the Center for English Language Program (CELP) at MNSU, where she coordinated new student orientation, program’s events, and social media. She also led international student recruitment in Latin America while advising international students in the areas of immigration regulations and documentation (F-1 visas), financial concerns, educational goals, academic progress, and cultural adjustment. Her research interests include second language speech development outside the classroom and English pronunciation for Spanish speakers.

Adriana’s hobbies include singing, calligraphy & lettering, and training her Golden Retriever dog “Chester.”

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