Resident Director & On-Site Staff

Amy T. Morris- Resident Director

Amy Morris is the Resident Director of the Border Studies Program.

She brings extensive experience as an educator, living and working in Latin America, and a breadth of other experience to the program. She holds a Masters in Public Policy (MPP) with concentrations in Immigration & Human Rights and Global Policy from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs as well as a B.A. in Latin American Studies and Urban Studies (Geography) from Macalester College (MN).

Originally from near Boston, MA, Amy has long had an interest in the border and immigration policy issues which primarily developed from living and working on the “other side” of the border, in Latin America. Amy has lived, worked and/or studied in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Mexico. Her most recent position in the region was as a member of the Witness for Peace International Team in Nicaragua and Colombia. During that time, Amy and her teammates monitored the impacts of US policy in the region and hosted delegations of US citizens interested in working for a more just US policy towards Latin America. Primary issues she researched were anti-narcotics aerial fumigation and protection of human rights defenders in Colombia and free trade, structural adjustment and debt relief in Nicaragua.

Besides her work with Witness for Peace, Amy has conducted research on the structural causes and dynamics of street children in Latin America, the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement, an industry specific migratory stream from Guatemala to North Carolina, immigrant meatpacking workers in the Midwest, changes in immigration policy post September 11, 2001, refugee mental health, the connection between sustainable development and migration from the Mixteca region of Oaxaca, Mexico, and myriad other topics related to immigration, human rights and democracy in Latin America.

In addition to working on issues related to immigration, Latin America and human rights, Amy has worked as a High School teacher, Service Learning Coordinator and Union Researcher. Amy believes strongly in social justice and the potential for young people to play a key role in building an effective movement towards achieving a more just world.

A big fan of salt-water sports, Lake Superior activities, the Boston Red Sox and gardening, Amy will be looking for new hobbies in the landlocked desert border region.

Naomi Fertman - Program Associate

Naomi Fertman is the Program Associate for the Fall 2007 Border Studies program. She will coordinate students’ Field Study experiences, plan group excursions, and be an accessible resource for participants.

Naomi was a 2003 participant of the Border Studies program. While on the border she worked at Casa Amiga Centro De Crisis. She graduated from Earlham College with a B.A. in Latin American Studies and a concentration in Outdoor Education in 2004. After graduating, Naomi spent a year traveling and rock climbing in New Zealand. She landed in Cincinnati, OH in the fall of 2005 for a Public Allies fellowship. Naomi has spent the last two years in Cincinnati doing sexual violence outreach in the public school system through Jewish Family Services and running a mentoring program for children with incarcerated parents through Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Naomi loves running, reading, cooking, rock climbing, playing outside and going on adventures to interesting places.

Cristina Sanchez - Housing Coordinator

Sra. Cristina Sanchez is the Housing Coordinator for the families in Ciudad Juarez. She is also a host mother who has worked with the program since it began. Cristina is a native of Ciudad Juarez but has also lived in many areas of the world including Barcelona, Mexico City, and San Francisco. In addition to working with the families, Cristina is instrumental in planning many of the orientation activities as well as program activities throughout the fall semester. Students should feel free to ask Cristina questions, talk to her about any concerns, or to contact her at any time. Cristina lives in Ciudad Juarez. Her daughter Titi also lives in Juarez, and she graduated from UTEP.

Cheryl King, Program Associate, International Programs Office at Earlham College

Cheryl King serves as the Border Studies Program Associate in the International Programs Office at Earlham College. Her main responsibilities involve traveling throughout the U.S. promoting the Border Studies Program on college campuses and communicating with students and faculty interested in the program. Cheryl graduated from Heidelberg College with a B.A. in Spanish and International Studies and from Ohio University with a Master of Arts in International Affairs in Latin American Studies. While at OU, Cheryl earned certificates in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and Women's Studies.

Cheryl enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, baking, and spending time with her friends and family.

Katie Strohm, Student Intern, Border Studies Program

Katie Strohm is currently a senior at Earlham College, majoring in Spanish and Hispanic Studies. She was a Border Studies Participant in 2006. While on the program Katie was an intern for the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services. Katie returned to the border in the summer of 2007 and interned for the border agricultural workers center, Centro de Trabajadores Agrícolas Fronterizos.

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