Meet the Team
Patrick Wolak | Director of International Student and Scholar Services
Patrick has been serving Pacific students since 2014. He began his career in international education through the Peace Corps as an English education volunteer in both Mauritania, West Africa and Sichuan Province, China. After leading and managing multiple English language institutes in the Bay Area, he relocated to the Central Valley with his family. Patrick is a graduate of Clemson University (BA in Communication) and Pacific (MA in Education), which is convenient since both schools have tigers as mascots.
Patrick Wolak directs services for international students and scholars (F-1 and J-1 visa) as well as those interested in studying abroad.
Carmen Gloria Anselmo | International Student and Scholar Advisor
Carmen Gloria Anselmo was born and raised in Santiago, Chile where she earned her Associate of Arts degree. In 1989, she immigrated to the U.S. and subsequently worked for the Lodi Unified School District for over 15 years. Carmen Gloria enjoys knitting, scrap-booking, and spending time with her family.
As an International Student and Scholar Advisor, Carmen Gloria supports office operations, immigration advising, and thematic programming.
Ofelia Santos Hernandez |
Ofelia received her BA in International Studies with a minor in Chinese at CSU East Bay where she had the opportunity to study abroad in Taiwan for an academic year where she focused on improving her foreign language skills. After graduating, she volunteered for Peace Corps as an English Teacher in Ukraine and pursued a Master’s in International Education Management at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. As a first-gen herself, Ofelia has made it her mission to assist students to gain international experience through education; she believes that every student should have the opportunity to study abroad and hopes Pacific students will have a positive international experience that will impact their personal, academic, and professional lives. During her free time, Ofelia likes to travel, take her husky to the park, and read Korean graphic novels.
As an Education Abroad Advisor, Ofelia advises students on study abroad opportunities and finding the right program that meets students' personal, academic, and/or professional goals abroad.
Ashwina Khapre | International Student and Scholar Coordinator
Ashwina was born in Singapore before immigrating to the U.S as a child. She has spent the majority of her childhood moving around the United States, living in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. She currently resides in Elk Grove with her dog, cat, three younger siblings and parents. She holds a BA in Graphic Design from Southern New Hampshire University where she also studied abroad in Fukuoka, Japan in Fall 2019. She is an avid reader, patricularly in listening to audiobooks. She also works at a yarn store in Sacramento where she teaches knitting classes in the evening and weekends during her spare time.
She recently joined Pacific in May 2022 as the coordinator for IPS where she handles office operations, as well as responding to student inquiries and event planning for students, staff and faculty at Pacific.