Global Village: Living-Learning Center

Village Staff | Peer Instructors

Village Staff

Photo of Jeff Holdeman Jeff Holdeman – Faculty Director
Jeff, the Director of the Global Village, has also been the Slavic Language Coordinator and Slavic Department Undergraduate Advisor since coming to IU in 2002. He grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he went on to the University of Tennessee to receive B.A. degrees in Russian Language and Literature and Russian Area Studies, with a minor in French. He spent the next academic year studying in St. Petersburg, and then attended Ohio State, where he received his M.A. in Russian Language and Russian Literature and his Ph.D. in Slavic Linguistics. Jeff is a lover of languages (Lithuanian made number fourteen when he attended IU’s Summer Workshop in Slavic, East European and Central Asian Languages in 2006) and a passionate advocate of study abroad. His sociolinguistic research on contemporary Russian Old Believer communities takes him to conduct fieldwork in areas in the eastern United States, Poland, Lithuania, and Russia. In his free time, he likes performing and adding to his repertoire of vocal and guitar music from Eastern Europe and beyond.

Phone: (812) 855-4251
Email: jeffhold@indiana.edu

Lauren Caldarera – Assistant Director
Lauren grew up in Houston, Texas and attended Trinity University in San Antonio, where she received a B.A. in Social & Cultural Anthropology. Her love for learning about cultures has carried her around the world. Lauren has studied abroad in Israel, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Honduras and has traveled extensively in East Africa and the Middle East. After college, Lauren taught first-grade in East New York, Brooklyn and then moved to Washington State where she served as an AmeriCorps VISTA designing community based programs for rural youth. Committed to engaging young people in social change, Lauren entered graduate school at the University of Oregon and received a Masters in Public Administration focused on service-learning and youth development. Lauren’s most recent adventure is mastering her first instrument, the fiddle.

Phone: (812) 855-4552
Email: lcaldare@indiana.edu

Photo of Shelli Heishman Shelli Heishman – Office Assistant
Shelli grew up in Bloomington, Indiana and received her B.S. from the Kelley School of Business here at IU. After graduation Shelli had the opportunity to apply her business degree working in private industry throughout the U.S. and overseas. Most notably, she has lived and worked in Florida, Hawaii and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. She considers herself fortunate to have experienced the Asian-Pacific cultures of Hawaii, but credits her time in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates for developing a greater understanding and appreciation of other world cultures.

Phone: (812) 855-4552
Email: slpearcy@indiana.edu

Photo of Leah Myhre Leah Myhre – Student Office Assistant
My name is Leah Myhre and I am a sophomore returning to the Global Village this year. I’m currently from Crawfordsville, IN, but having lived in various locations across the nation and overseas, I call many places my home. As a result, I relish the opportunity to learn about foreign cultures and languages. I’m studying Political Science, Spanish, and English, and when I’m not hitting the books I’m always up for a game of soccer. As the Global Village student assistant, I’m here to help out with small tasks and errands around the GV, so please never hesitate to ask me for anything The Global Village is a great place to be and you can be sure that if you’re here, you’ll have a great time.

Office: 012
Room: 216
Email: lmyhre@indiana.edu

Peer Instructors

	DJ Funkhouser My name is DJ, but I've been called Funk, DJ Funk, Funkalicious, and DJ the DJ. Use any, and I'll respond. I lived in the GV last year, so don't be afraid to ask me something non-class related. Until spending this past May in Spain I had never traveled outside the US. However, because of that experience I've decided that I'd like to teach English to Spanish grade-schoolers as part of a one year program through Spain's Ministry of Education. I'm planning to spend this spring in Argentina studying the Latin American political economy. I'm a cognitive science major, although, I fill up most of my electives with film and music classes. That's where my interests lay, and hopefully myself after college. Email: dfunkhou@indiana.edu
	Hillary Gaiser My name is Hilary Gaiser and I am majoring in Anthropology with minors in Spanish, Caribbean Latin American Studies and History. I am also working on my pre-optometry requirements and hope to go into this field. I was an exchange student to Germany in high school and studied abroad my sophomore year of college in the Virgin Islands. I have lived in Indiana my whole life except for my forays abroad. I am involved in many clubs and activities including IUUAS, APO, tennis and of course traveling. This year I am writing my Senior Honors Thesis in Anthropology while continuing my education in the sciences and Spanish. Email: hlgaiser@indiana.edu
	Toni Haraldsen My name is Toni Haraldsen. I’m a junior majoring in Secondary Education with a concentration in Social Studies, as well as minors in Geography, Coaching, and Classical Civilization. As an army brat, I’ve moved a lot and don’t really consider any particular place as my home. Right now, my parents live in Stavanger, Norway. I spent my freshman year in the Global Village and had an amazing experience. I am literate in Spanish, but will be studying Samoan in New Zealand beginning in January. I plan on student teaching either in China or on a Navajo reservation during my last semester of college. On campus, I am involved in STAND: An Anti-Genocide Coalition, Labyrinth Literary Magazine, Students for a Free Tibet, and the IU NAACP Email: tharalds@indiana.edu
	Brock Imel My name is Brock and I'm a sophomore majoring in Spanish, French and Political Science with minors in a few other languages. I lived in the GV as a freshman and am looking for this year to be as awesome as the last. In high school, I spent 2 weeks each in Oaxaca, Mexico and Montauban-en-Bretagne, France studying the language and staying with a host family. I'm planning to spend my junior year in Madrid, Spain. After Graduation, I'll be attending law school with the goal of some form of ambassadorial position where I can use my language skills. Email: baimel@indiana.edu
	Madelyn Kissel My name is Madelyn Kissel and I am from St. Louis, Missouri. I am a sophomore and I look forward to returning to the Global Village again this year. My current major is Policy Analysis with minors in International Studies and Spanish. As a member of People to People, I have had the opportunity to travel to Malta, Italy and France. This summer my family and I traveled to Costa Rica. I am looking forward to being a Q instructor this year and getting to know all of the new GV’ers. On campus, I am a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a community service Fraternity. Email: mkissel@indiana.edu
	Chris Purvis My name is Christopher and I am a sophomore majoring in Environmental Management and Spanish with a possible minor in Business. I lived in the Global Village as a freshman and will be living there again this year. I studied in Valencia, Spain with the IU Honors Program. I plan on spending spring semester of junior year in Ghana while spending the summer in the Netherland Antilles or England. After graduation I plan on joining the Peace Corps then going to Oakland, CA for a master’s degree in Environmental Science. I work at the IU Auditorium and for Foster Judicial Board. I enjoy cycling, running, consuming foods packed with trans-saturated fats, photography, and walking my dogs. Email: chpurvis@indiana.edu
	Caitlin Ryan My name is Caitlin and I’m from Fort Wayne, IN. I’m a Biology major completing pre-med coursework. I’m also minoring in Studio Art, Spanish, and Chemistry. On campus, I’m a part of the Union Board and INPIRG, and I work at the I.U. Bookstore in the IMU. After I.U., I’m planning on going to medical school and someday I’d like to work with Doctors Without Borders. Outside of school and work, I enjoy being outdoors, hanging out with friends, and any sort of musical activity, whether that be in the form of going to a concert, jamming with friends, or just chilling out to a good album. Email: ryancj@indiana.edu