John Simpson

Age: 29

Home Town: Seattle, Washington

Education: Masters in Education, Seattle University; BA in Ethnomusicology, University of Washington

Specific Field Interests: International Education, International Development, Cultural Affiars, Public Diplomacy

Placement: iMerit, Kolkata

Area of Focus: Social Enterprise

Highlights: John's interest in international education began six years ago when he took his first teaching job in Piedmont, Italy. Since then, teaching internationally has taken him to five different continents, allowing him to pick up small amounts of various languages along the way. Having most recently completed an English Language Fellowship with the US State Department in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, John is excited to begin his journey as an educator and trainer with AIF in Kolkata. In 2013/2014, John taught English composition and critical thinking skills to young women from all over Asia at the Asian University for Women (AUW) in Chittagong, Bangladesh. This increased his interest in working in South Asia and learning Bengali. When not found teaching in the classroom, John can be found reading, playing cello, swimming, writing, eating potentially dangerous street food, and hiking.