Program Staff

International Director - Michaela Stockhill (Sessions 1-3)

Michaela was raised in Sarasota, Florida and attended Florida Southern College where she received her B.S. in Biology. She went to graduate school at The University of Georgia and earned her Masters of Public Administration and certification in Non-Profit Management. After grad school, Michaela joined the Peace Corps and served in Mozambique. Upon her return to the US, Michaela became a Biology teacher at her former high school in Sarasota. Michaela has been to 35 countries and 6 continents around the world. She is very excited to experience Costa Rica this summer with the GLA students.

Mentor - Luis Alberto Navarrete (Sessions 1-3); International Director (Session 4)

Luis Alberto was raised in Lima, Peru and went to Law School at University of Lima, where he received his bachelor's degree. Since he was always into sports, he got certified as a professional soccer coach while working in sports law at the Peruvian Soccer Federation. He was then nominated for 3 years straight as a CONMEBOL representative and got to travel all around South America and got to help organize a significant number of tournaments and matches following the guidelines of professional soccer. His passion towards sports made him pursue and get certified in diverse aspects of the sports industry, including strategies for the development of soccer for the youth, lawn preparation and maintenance for soccer, oratory and public presentations, and so on.

Luis Alberto currently lives in Lima, Peru. He teaches psychomotricity and coaches the soccer teams at 3 private schools. He's eager to share his experiences with GLA students and help them achieve their best version of themselves.

Local Director - Juan Carlos Soto

Juan Carlos was born in Cartago and his passions and interests led him to become an Anthropologist. He has worked with international volunteers for more than 12 years and has been part of the GLA team for 5 years. Juan Carlos has worked in so many different projects with communities in and outside Cartago, his skill set has been a great asset to work hard on reaching goals effectively. Students love working with Juan Carlos, he has been a great student leader and has taught them a lot about his beautiful province. Juan Carlos enjoys hiking for days in the mountains,  and has done amazing trips all over Latin America. He also loves photography and learning about cultures.

Local Director - Juvel Ugalde

A resident of Cartago, a lover of local culture, nature and traditional foods from Costa Rica, Juvel has extensive experience in the field of volunteering and tourism. 

Through the last 15 years, he has worked side by side with international organizations and government institutions focused on strengthening education, health and community development. Due to his knowledge in administration, Juvel have had the opportunity to collaborate and direct service projects that have benefited institutions such as rural schools, care centers for seniors and shelters for children in abandonment condition.

Local Director - Juan Pablo Solano

Hello, my name is Juan Pablo. I love cooking and drawing, and I'm passionate about poetry and musical composition.

I have 25 years of experience working in furniture construction and interior design based on wood. Additionally, I'm fascinated by working with young people. I'm a basketball coach and self-defense instructor, and I've been working with vulnerable youth for about 7 years, being a positive influence in preparing them for the challenges that the new generations face every day.

This is my third year working with GLA, and I'm very excited to contribute to leadership and youth programs.

Mentor - Isabel Present (Sessions 1-3)

Isabel grew up in the Washington, DC area, attended school in Boston, Massachusetts, and is currently living in Austin, Texas! She focused on Behavioral and Medical Economics in college, and later worked as both a research coordinator in a psychiatry lab and as a medical assistant at a women's health clinic.

Isabel now teaches 6th grade Social Studies in Austin, and is extremely excited to join the GLA team this summer!

Mentor - Katherine Wunderlich (Session 1)

Kate was raised in a small town outside of St. Louis, Missouri and attended Elon University for undergraduate in North Carolina, where she received a B.A. in Anthropology with minors in French, Food Studies, and International Studies. While at Elon, Kate studied abroad in Paris, France for a semester where she studied the aesthetics of French pastries. Kate loves to run marathons and bake desserts. She is also a GLA alumna student. She went to Tanzania in high school in 2017. She can't wait to experience Costa Rica with GLA students this summer!

Mentor - Julius Gomes (Session 4)

Hello! I'm Julius. A friendly and dependable guy who loves nature, sports, and people and loves learning and teaching about our beautiful earth. I was born and raised in suburban Mumbai, India, As a child I loved running around in the fields nearby, climbing trees and swimming in wells and ponds, playing sports and appreciating nature in its rawest form. 

I studied and graduated through an open learning institute, focused on doing things I liked as a child and a teen, and turned those interests into my job. I traveled extensively through India until 2018 mostly on a motorbike and sometimes on a bike doing jobs that I dreamed of as a child. I reached a point where I decided it was time to see the world now that I've seen my own country. I have been working as an outdoor educator since 2018 and have based myself in Hong Kong since 2022 facilitating youth outdoor adventure programs.

I'm very excited to work and share my experience as a professional and as a person, and to learn about all the GLA students as well!