Marisa Rivero

SIS Undergraduate Academic Advisor
rivero@american.edu

Marisa Rivero headshot

I have more than 15 years of experience in international affairs and higher education. I moved to Washington, DC shortly after finishing my undergraduate degree and spent the first three months in an unpaid internship at the Center for International and Strategic Studies (CSIS).  That led to an entry level position at Chemonics, a large international development consulting firm.  After three years at Chemonics managing USAID contracts in Latin America, I started graduate school at SIS.  I knew I wanted to switch from development to international education and the MA program in International and Intercultural Communication was a good fit for my interests.

After graduate school, I managed international education and scholarship programs for the American Council on Education (ACE), World Learning, and the Institute of International Education (IIE) before I returned to SIS in 2013, first as a graduate academic advisor and now as an undergraduate academic advisor. I enjoy helping students think strategically about their academic studies and interests, brainstorming career paths and DC employers, and finding creative ways to add marketable skills to their professional portfolio.

Ask Me About…
Working in international development or international education in DC
Balancing work and graduate school
Working and living abroad
Networking in DC
Being a minority in the international affairs field

In addition to my current role at SIS, I also know about some other aspects of the AU Community, including…
Academic support
Career resources

Outside of AU, I spend my time
Outdoors with my family
Enjoying DC cultural events and food from around the world
Traveling to new places

I have lived or traveled…
Hartford, CT, Miami, FL, and Gaithersburg, MD (early years)
La Paz, Bolivia (early years, high school, and for work)
Los Angeles, CA (Occidental College)
Madrid, Spain (study abroad)
Pretoria, South Africa (college internship)
Kyiv, Ukraine (work)
Several cities in India (work)
Numerous countries in Europe, Asia, Southern Africa, and Latin America for vacations!