President Miguel Martinez-Saenz, Ph.D. and a group of his colleagues from St. Francis College will return to the Dominican Republic (DR) this month, fostering the College's deep relationships with individuals and institutions in that country.

The three-day visit to Santo Domingo marks the second time in the past year that representatives from St. Francis have traveled to the DR to meet with schools, educational organizations and leaders there. The College has a long tradition of welcoming students from the Caribbean. In recent years, Dr. Martinez-Saenz, in collaboration with a strong, engaged alumni network from that region, has refocused the College's attention there.

The upcoming trip, which has been organized largely by SFC graduate Manuel Medrano '16, includes meetings with officials at the DR's office of Ministry of Commerce & Industry and with students and educators at local colleges and high schools. The SFC team will also host a reception for high school guidance counselors.

"I'm honored to be part of President Martinez-Saenz's and the entire SFC team's visit," said Medrano, who is currently the International Exchange Programs & Dominican Outreach Assistant for the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development. "My experience at SFC was absolutely invaluable to me, and I'm happy to do my part to help shepherd a new generation of DR students through its doors."

In addition to Dr. Martinez-Saenz, members of SFC's visiting DR team include Reza Fakhari Ph.D., Vice President of Internationalization and Strategic Initiatives, Robert Oliva '04, Director of Recruitment and Katherine Cardy, Admissions Counselor. The team will be in Santo Domingo from October 14 to 16.

For more information or to participate in the Guidance Counselor reception, contact [email protected].

Pictured above, L-R: Rob Oliva, Manuel Medrano, Miguel Martinez-Saenz, Valinda Valdez (College Counselor at Saint George School), Monique Pryor (SFC Chief of Staff); February 2019 at St. George School, DR