Meet the New L&LI Team Members
We love our current staff and we are so excited to welcome new members to the team! Check out who’s new and get to know all our staff on our Meet the Team page.
Ecuador Team
Abby & Cole Nelson
Resident Directors
Abby and Cole Nelson are excited to start their first year as a part of the L&LI team as Resident Directors in Ecuador! Abby is from Hawai’i/California, while Cole is from Minnesota. They graduated from Vanguard University (Spring 2021) in Orange County, California. This also happens to be where they met and fell madly in love. While at Vanguard, they both found a passion for integrating psychology and discipleship. After graduating from their undergraduate experience, Cole and Abby moved to Wisconsin to continue their education. Cole recently graduated from Wheaton College (Spring 2023) with a master’s in Outdoor and Adventure Leadership, while Abby worked in the local town as a barista/juice master and also started her own floral company! They have been married for a bit over a year and enjoy adventuring to new places, sports, card games, and cooking together for fun!
Tucker Wood
Resident Coordinator
Tucker grew up in the Northeast and abroad in France. He studied Christian Formation and Ministry ('21) and received an M.A. in Outdoor and Adventure Leadership ('23) from Wheaton College. He has a passion for Creation and sharing the Lord through what He has made. Tucker enjoys climbing, canoeing, and inviting others along for fun adventures.
Esther Pruitt
Resident Coordinator
Esther grew up in Asheville, North Carolina and after studying psychology at Covenant College ('20) and earning an M.A. in student development at Wheaton College ('23), Esther is thrilled to be joining the Living and Learning team as an RC! Esther loves meeting new people, engaging in cross-cultural experiences, and learning more about Jesus.
Julie Spicer
Resident Coordinator
Julie attended Biola University for her undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. During her time at Biola, she spent a semester in Quito with L&LI and discovered a passion for building relationships within ministry. After graduating with her M.S. degree in Speech Pathology in 2021, she moved to East Texas. She has spent the past two years working as a Speech Language Pathologist in the educational setting and serving as a volunteer leader with Young Life.
Italy Team
Donald Hawkins II
Rome Program Director
Donald was born in Houston, Texas in 1989 to Donald and Regina Hawkins. Lived most of his life in Virginia. Attended school at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Liberty University. Came to faith in Jesus as a kid through youth ministry at Antioch Baptist Church. Donald loves spending time with family, reading and writing, watching and playing sports, spending time at the beach and traveling. He has worked in Education and International Education since 2016.
Meg van Rijn
Director of Student Life
(Meg has been on staff at our Ecuador location and is now taking on the Director of Student Life position at our Rome location!)
I'm Meg - a teammate, friend, and disciple of Christ. I have been a part of Living & Learning for the past four years and have fallen in love with L&LI's desire to partner with the Lord in what He is doing in the lives of students. Some other things that get me pumped on life are cheese, my family, card games (Dutch Blitz always), treats, Jesus, hanging with college students, music, my nephews, & travel (obvi not in that order)! :) I absolutely love what I do and who I get to do it with.
Camryn Parrini
Resident Coordinator
Camryn is from Southern California and has just recently graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a degree in Communication Management (’23). During her time in school, she was highly involved in student leadership opportunities. She is passionate about cultivating community, creating belonging, and walking alongside others. Camryn enjoys the beach, going to concerts, and spending time with friends. She is thrilled to join the team!
Experiential Tours Team
Charlie Cacuango
Experiential Tours Coordinator
Charlie is 29 years old and loves seeing cultures come together with the same purpose of serving Jesus and other people. Charlie likes going on hikes, grabbing coffee, playing volleyball and soccer, and hitting the crossfit gym in the morning. Charlie is a graduate from UDLA Music School and loves playing the drums. Charlie was a Resident Coordinator the past two years at our Ecuador location for our Summer Internship program.
University Relations and Operations
Vincent Williams
Enrollment Manager for the Baltimore Urban Studies
Vincent, a native of San Antonio, Texas, studied Kinesiology at the University of Texas San Antonio. During college, he started and led a campus ministry focused on fostering community and learning to follow Jesus. He pursued his Master of Divinity at Liberty University in Virginia, specializing in discipleship. As part of a local church plant, Vincent actively engaged with the community through various initiatives and participated in short-term mission trips to Atlanta, Baltimore, and visited Zambia.
Following seminary, Vincent returned to San Antonio and worked in a support role for a business organization, encouraging clients to view their businesses as their ministry. Leveraging his passion for fitness, he successfully launched his own franchise business for outdoor group training, which he led for two years. In July 2023, Vincent joined the Living and Learning team. In his leisure time, he enjoys sports, playing chess, fishing, and spending time with loved ones.