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Get to Know Katie Arango

Meet Katie Arango, our Head of Placement for our Scholar Program. Her knowledge and dedication has helped us build our effective and successful Scholar Program.

Get to Know Katie Arango

USP: Tell us about your background. Where are you from? Where did you grow up?

I grew up in the US, outside of Chicago.  I’ve also lived in Ohio, Seattle, Madrid and now Buenos Aires. 

USP: Where did you go to college?

I was lucky enough to attend Miami University, which interestingly is located in Oxford, Ohio.  Cue the joke about how Miami (founded in 1809) was a university while Florida still belonged to Spain.

USP: What led you to this career?

I think I’ve been interested in international student exchanges since I spent a month abroad in high school and realized the profound impact an international experience could have on one’s life.  Have access to such new and different points of view at that age really leaves a strong impression. 

Since then, I’ve worked in international internships, and at the Fulbright Commission, and now I’m thrilled to be working with international students looking to study in the US. 

USP: When people ask you what you do for a living, how do you respond?

I help high school students from all over the world realize their dream of going to college in the US. 

USP: What is it that you look forward to with USP?

I love getting to know the students and their families and helping them navigate this sometimes-tricky terrain.  But who doesn’t look forward to getting those admission letters and being able to see all our collective hard work pay off!

USP: What is your advice for students and their parents?

Start this process early!  There are a lot of elements to preparing a strong application, and if you start early in a student’s high school career, you can make things a lot easier for yourself (and more effective!) later down the line.  Planning your courses and extracurricular activities, even developing relationships with teachers all is a bit different when you’re looking at it through the lens of eventually wanting to apply to university in the US.