Meet Stashia (Stay-sha) Kaiel

Stashia Kaiel was born and raised in Spokane, Washington.  Her Spanish high school classroom experiences inspired her to continue learning Spanish and about other cultures.  Stashia planned on taking a gap year in a Spanish speaking country after she graduated from high school, but due to the uncertainty of her safety and options as well as the lack of quality guidance, her gap year plans fell through and she hastily chose a university to attend.  Her first year of college was full of unnecessary challenges with an immense feeling that she was not attending a school that was the best fit.

Stashia ended up transferring to a better fit university the following year and it was at this university during her junior year of college where she was able to study abroad in an independent customizable program in Spain.  This ‘gap semester’ Stashia experienced in college changed her life and from then on she has been involved in international education.

Stashia received her Bachelor’s in Education with a minor in Spanish from Eastern Washington University and recently completed her Master of Arts degree in Communication and Leadership from Gonzaga University. In the past twenty-five years, Stashia has worked in a variety of international educational settings including, but not limited to:

• Resident Assistant for Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute for Japanese students in Spokane

• Native English Teacher for Korean Government Program (EPIK) in South Korea

• English Language Learner (ELL) teacher for K-6 public school in Portland, Oregon

• Bilingual classroom teacher for Migrant Education Summer Program in Multnomah County, Oregon

• Volunteer and Info Center representative for education abroad program American Field Service (AFS)

• International Admission representative for Gonzaga University

Currently, Stashia is the Senior Study Abroad Advisor at Gonzaga University and enjoys guiding and supporting college students planning to study abroad.  She is also the founder of GlobalLife Education Consulting providing access to educational opportunities and resources to high school and college students from all over the world.  She is dedicated to giving back to students and families the necessary post-secondary guidance that is greatly needed for the transition from high school to college.

Stashia has lived in two countries outside of the U.S. – South Korea and Spain.  She has also traveled for leisure and work to a total of 18 countries within three different continents. Stashia has a husband who is an avid soccer player and fan.  She has two daughters – Olivia and Laila.  Olivia is currently attending college and Laila is in high school.