ANA DEACONU

Stanford University, B.S., Earth Systems; Stanford University, M.S., Earth Systems

While at Stanford, Ana focused on food and agriculture as an environmental resource that universally connects all people. After earning her master’s degree, she accepted a Fulbright grant to work with responsible food movements and agroecological farmers in Ecuador. Since then, she has taught creative writing to undernourished girls in Peru, worked with sugarcane farmers in Belize, rock climbed extensively in Patagonia, and led American high school science teachers on a two-week trip through Ecuador focused on learning about different ecosystems, agriculture, and fisheries. Ana still lives in Ecuador, where she works with several organizations to promote local, sustainable food, and is also learning the local indigenous language, Kichwa, in order to be more effective in rural communities. Ana is fluent in Spanish and Romanian, and also speaks some French. This fall, Ana plans to begin a Ph.D. program in public health nutrition.

VINCE RUIZ

University of Southern California, B.A., Political Science (minors in Spanish and Business Administration); Columbia University, J.D.

While at USC, Vince focused on international relations and politics and studied abroad in both Madrid and Prague. After college, he spent three years rotating between ski bumming in Vail, Colorado, and beach bumming in Hawaii, during which time he also walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain; traveled extensively in Asia, South America, and Europe; led four programs for high school students abroad for Putney Student Travel; and worked on projects for several nonprofit organizations, including organizations assisting victims of abuse, the blind, immigrants, and inner-city youth. Vince earned a law degree at Columbia University, taking a semester to study law in Buenos Aires. After Columbia, Vince practiced law for eight years at an international law firm in New York. As a lawyer, Vince has spent more than 1,500 hours providing free assistance to underprivileged clients on various legal matters including immigration, guardianship, and domestic abuse. Vince is currently on sabbatical from the practice of law and taking time to travel, hike, and work on projects in food and wine in Southeast Asia and California. Vince is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Portuguese. Vince has led Putney’s Language Learning Spain, Cultural Exploration Thailand & Cambodia, and Cultural Exploration Australia, New Zealand, & Fiji programs.