
Italy Team
Staff
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Donald Hawkins II
Program Director
Donald was born in Houston, Texas to Donald and Regina Hawkins but lived most of his life in Virginia. He attended school at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Liberty University. Donald 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.
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Ariana Damaske
Assistant Program Director
Ariana was born in California, but grew up in Milan, Italy. After high school, she attended Portantochas Bible School in Costa Rica. She has a BA in International Relations from Wheaton College (IL) and a master's in Student Affairs from LUMSA University in Rome. She now lives in Rome with her family, where she has been working in higher education for over 7 years. She has a passion for cross-cultural experiences and ministry, and loves to see how God works in these beautiful yet challenging spaces.
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Meg van Rijn
Director of Student Life
Meg has been a part of Living & Learning since 2019 and loves partnering with the Lord in the work He is doing in the lives of students.
I’m a teammate, friend, and disciple of Christ. I have been a part of Living & Learning for the past five 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 niece and nephews, & travel (obvi not in that order)! :) I absolutely love what I do and who I get to do it with.
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Davide Ibrahim
Spiritual Life & Community Director
Born in Milan to Egyptian parents, Davide holds a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Milan and a master’s degree in Cultures and Religions from Sapienza University of Rome. He is currently a PhD candidate in theology, and lives with his wife in Rome. He is a member of Breccia di Roma Evangelical church. He enjoys reading, art, and architecture.
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Liberato Vitale
Logistics Coordinator
Born in Salerno and lives in Rome with his family. Liberato graduated in Administration and Organization Sciences at the University of Salerno and in Labor Market, Industrial Relations and Welfare Systems at the Department of Economics of the Roma Tre University. He currently serves as administrator, librarian and head of the projects area at the Institute of Evangelical Culture and Documentation in Rome and Deacon of Chiesa Evangelica Breccia di Roma San Paolo. Husband and father of two children.
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Abigail Brown
Resident Coordinator
Abigail is from Washington State and an alumna of Azusa Pacific University, holding a bachelor's degree in International Relations ('23). After graduating, she completed a year of service in college ministry in Bosnia and Herzegovina before serving with Living and Learning International Rome for the ’24-’25 school year. She has seen the Lord’s faithfulness this past year in Rome and is excited to share Jesus with students over coffee, pasta, and downtown adventures this year.
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Bryce Heggen
Resident Coordinator
Bryce has a deep affection for both of his homes: Los Angeles, CA, and Houston, TX. While studying Entrepreneurial Leadership, he served as a creative director at his church, nurturing his passion for exploring the creative gifts bestowed by the Lord and helping others do the same.
When asked what he likes to do, he usually responds with, “I don’t know, I just love to have fun, I guess!” But you’ll probably find Bryce playing various instruments or spending time with friends and family.
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Katie Busike
Resident Coordinator
Katie is originally from Southern California and is returning to Rome for her second year with Living and Learning International. Prior to working with L&LI, Katie worked at North Coast Church in youth ministry while completing her bachelor's degree from California State University, San Marcos. Katie has a heart for ministry and working with students, and talking about all things Gospel. She typically can be found making a moka pot or baking no matter the hour!
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Eden Street
Resident Coordinator
Eden was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona and is alumna of Liberty University. She holds a bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. She attended the Rome Spring 2024 semester with LLI and it sparked a desire to work with college students in ministry. She is passionate about travel and engaging in community with students and looks forward to seeing the Lord work through this program.
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Eli Hill
Resident Coordinator
Eli was born and raised in Southern California. He graduated from Biola University with a Bachelors in Psychology. He enjoys a good cup of coffee and a book in front of him. He also enjoys working in ministry! Whether that’s being with Hume Lake Christian Campers, or interning in the Junior High or High School ministry at his church. He is passionate about discipleship and is so excited to walk alongside college students wherever they find themselves in their journey!
Want to hear from a student?
Our Student Ambassadors are alumni of our programs and would love to share about their experiences!
From budget tips to housing experiences, our Student Ambassadors are here to share it all.
Faculty
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Donald Hawkins II
Professor & Program Director
Cultural Understanding
Apostle Paul: His Life & Theology• B.A. African American Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA)
• M.A. Theological Studies, Liberty University, (Lynchburg, VA) -
Davide Ibrahim
Professor & Spiritual Life & Community Director
Christian Spiritual Formation & Transformation• B.A. in History, Università degli studi di Milano
• Graduate Diploma in Theology, Union School of Theology
• M.A. in Historical-Religious Studies, Sapienza Università di Roma
• PhD in Evangelical Theology, Utrecht Theological University | 2024 - 2027 -
Dr. Corrado Primavera
Professor
Cultural Understanding• Master in Theological Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary (Dallas, TX)
• Master in Christian Education, Dallas Theological Seminary (Dallas, TX)
• Doctorate in Literature (Church History), Università degli Studi di Roma (Rome, Italy)Though he was born in the United Kingdom, Corrado Primavera grew up in Rome. In addition to planting the Evangelical Church in Rome, he has worked as a historical consultant for Day of Discovery Television Production and has written extensively for Italian and English publications. Professor Primavera teaches Ancient Roman Culture as part of the Cultural Understanding course.
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Clay Kannard
Professor
Faith and Food In Italy - A Theology of Food• B.S. Biblical Studies, Moody Bible Institute (Chicago, IL)
• Master of Theological Studies, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Kansas City, MO)
• Master of Theology (MTh), Union School of Theology – Bridgend/Oxford, UKCo-pastor of the church Breccia di Roma. Serving through discipleship, church planting, and leadership and theological formation. Primarily partnered with Italian evangelical leaders and the church Breccia di Roma for the advancement of the Gospel in the city of Rome, the training of new pastors and leaders, the planting of new churches in Italy, and the equipping of the saints.
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Andrea Fiori
Professor
Exploring the Art of Italy• BA in Art Education, Messiah College (Grantham, PA)
• M.Ed. in Art Education, Temple University, Tyler School of Art (Philadelphia, PA)Andrea Fiori has many years of teaching experience in the visual arts ranging from middle school through university, as well as community arts workshops, program development and being a docent at Grounds for Sculpture, NJ. She has led several university student and adult groups to Italy. She loves helping students engage with art and art history and connecting the visual arts to their Christian faith.
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Dr. Jeffrey Sherlock
Professor
International Business• Bachelor of Business Administration, Ohio University (Athens, Ohio)
• Master of Business Administration, Ohio University (Athens, Ohio)
• Ed.D. in Adult and Community Education, Ball State University, (Muncie, Indiana)Jeff Sherlock grew up in rural Ohio until in 1990 he and his family moved to Macau, East Asia to work in an English Language Program and to assist in a church plant. He has taught full time at Huntington University, Tri-State University, and Taylor University as well as part time at Indiana Wesleyan University, Xi’an International Studies University (during a sabbatical year in China), Hunan University of Technology and Business, and LCC International University. He and his wife Joan are empty-nesters with three grown sons, two daughters-in-law, and two grandchildren.
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Dr. Leonardo De Chirico
Professor
The History of the Christian Church
Ethics• Degree in History, University of Bologna (Bologna, Italy)
• Diploma of Higher Education in Theological Studies, University of Glamorgan (UK)
• PhD in Theology, King’s College (London, England)
• Post-doctoral diploma in Bioethics, University of Padova (Padua, Italy)Leonardo De Chirico is an Italian citizen and a resident of Rome, Italy. Currently Leonardo serves as the pastor of Breccia di Roma, a Reformed Baptist church, while also serving in a number of other roles in Italy. He is Adjunct Director of Istituto di Formazione Evangelica e Documentazione (an Italian evangelical research center), and editor of its theological journal Studi Diteologia.
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Dr. Joey Dodson
Professor
Western Thought• PhD in New Testament, University of Aberdeen (Scotland, UK)
Joseph R. Dodson holds the Craig L. Blomberg Endowed Chair of New Testament at Denver Seminary and serves as a visiting lecturer in Religious Studies at Purdue University. He completed his postgraduate studies at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, followed by advanced research at the University of Tübingen in Germany.
Outside the classroom, Joey is an avid mountaineer who has climbed dozens of peaks across the globe, including two-thirds of the “14ers” in the continental U.S. and a “17er” in Peru. More importantly, he has been married for 30 years to his elementary school sweetheart, Sadie. Together they have five children, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, and what he insists are the greatest granddaughter and two grandsons in the entire multiverse.”
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Chiara Lamberti
Professor
Cultural Understanding
Introduction to Journalism• B.S. Communication Sciences at La Sapienza University (Rome, Italy)
• Masters in Information, Publishing and Journalism, Roma Tre University (Rome, Italy)Chiara is a freelance reporter for Christian magazines. She holds a Master’s degree in Communication Science from Roma Tre University and a theological formation from Italian Institute of Evangelical Formation and Documentation. Chiara lives in Rome with her family, where they are involved in a church planting project. She has a strong passion for teaching and engaging with young students.