Meet Our Team
Roman Yavich, Founder and CEO
Roman fell in love with travel and sustainability at the same time - while he was studying in college. After a year of studying abroad in Chile and Argentina, where he researched economic inequality, he took sustainable tourism classes back at the University of Colorado, and saw the potential for this industry to support economic development. He received a Fulbright Grant in 2006 to research sustainable tourism in Nicaragua. The following year, he co-founded Comunidad Connect, a nonprofit that funds community work by hosting groups of students and volunteers. Having seen the positive impact that sustainable tourism and study abroad can have on rural communities in Nicaragua, Roman was inspired to bring this model of travel to other parts of the world. That's how Learn from Travel was born in 2017. Roman holds masters degrees in Public Administration and Environmental Science and bachelors degrees in Business Administration and Economics.
Matthew Yates, Director of Strategic Partnership Development
Matthew is passionate about the power of educational travel to promote intercultural understanding and civic engagement. After he earned his Ph.D. in U.S. history at The Ohio State University, he started in the field of education abroad at Kansas State University as its Curriculum Integration Advisor. Matt then served as Director of Education Abroad at the University of Connecticut and, most recently, Director of Education Abroad at California Lutheran University. Over his career he's developed hundreds of short-term faculty-led programs, taught several travel courses himself, and trained faculty on intentional program design and student intercultural development.
Grace Galloway, Program Design Specialist
After graduating from Northwestern University, Grace has spent six years living and working in Panama, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Grace has collaborated on community development projects including a community garden, public health infrastructure, and micro-finance. By traveling, Grace has learned the importance of studying history outside the classroom, seeking out and listening to multiple perspectives, and how the choices we make on a daily basis can impact other people and communities around the world.
Isabela Coehlo, Programs Coordinator and Guide
Born in Brazil, Isabela’s career path has always been passion-led in the fields of Experiential Education, Social Entrepreneurship, and Performing Arts. She’s had the good fortune to have studied, lived and worked in many countries such as the US, Nicaragua, Mexico, Australia, Spain, and Thailand, and traveled extensively around the world. Isabela strongly believes in the transformative power of experiences abroad, allowing students and travelers to develop empathy and understand the ‘other’ to bring about authentic change in the world. She loves to spend time in nature, practice yoga, dance and play with her two little sons.
Wioleta Stoka, Programs Coordinator
Wioleta has over a decade of experience in international education including at UDLA, Ecuador’s largest university, where she introduced and managed faculty-led study abroad programs, secured grants for study exchange projects, and supervised both virtual and in-person study exchange initiatives. Driven by the transformative impact of academic visits on Ecuadorian communities, Wioleta has cultivated partnerships that provided continuous support to indigenous communities. Now based in Europe, she continues to design and implement immersive, authentic experiences that connect students with local communities while promoting sustainable and meaningful travel. Wioleta holds a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish (Education major) and a Master’s degree in Cultural Sciences.
Beatriz Zavala, Mexico and Central America Program Guide
Bea was born and raised in México. She studied business administration but fell in love with tourism and has been traveling nonstop for the last seven years. She works throughout México and Central America, specializing in cultural tourism, including Day of the Dead traditions. In addition to her passion for sharing the region with visitors, she cares deeply about supporting local non-profit organizations and communities where she works. She has helped create new initiatives and raise money for new projects in various communities. She believes that history, architecture, ancient civilizations, culture, traditions, colors, cuisine and the people of every country are unique and are an amazing way to learn about our world. She also believes that traveling opens up people's eyes to new things and reduces misunderstanding between people of different countries.
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