OUR VOLUNTEERS

Lisanne Bluemel - Community Engagement Volunteer

Lisanne Bluemel is originally from Germany and came to Greensboro because of her Master’s program in Peace and Conflict Studies at UNC-Greensboro. UNC-Greensboro and the University of Konstanz have a cooperation that enables her to participate in a double degree program. After she completed her course work, Lisanne decided to stay in Greensboro as she wanted to explore and get to know the city outside of the university context. During the last months, Lisanne enjoyed to get to know many local actors, initiatives and the thriving development in the community.

Lisanne describes herself as a global citizen as she had the opportunity to study and live in countries like Latvia, the Netherlands, India, Pakistan and the U.S. Her professional experiences include working as a Teaching Assistant at UNC-Greensboro and supporting several non-profit organizations. Lisanne was also part of the Opportunity Greensboro Fellows Program. That program aims to retain local talent in the area and selectively chose 36 fellows for its first cohort.

In the future, she hopes to further contribute to the ‘bridge-building process’ between different nationalities and cultures and thus add to a more peaceful society.

Email: lbluemel@go-center.org

José Oliva - Special Project Coordinator

A native of Guatemala, José Oliva is a senior and Bonner Scholar at Guilford College majoring in Political Science and Economics. With a passion for inclusion, diversity and equity, José is engaged in several community organizations and college activities. He was elected as the first Latino Student Body President and thus received the Guilford College Journey in Blackness Award.

José has served as the elected secretary of Greensboro’s International Advisory Committee, an initiative of the City Council. In that role, he interacted with the international community in Greensboro, elected officials and the greater community, building bridges between them to design welcoming policies that support new residents.

As empowerment is a crucial concept for José, he worked with hundreds of international students and their parents supporting them in the college application process. ‘Say Yes to Education’ is one of the organizations José engaged with during that process.

José has been recognized as a Notable Latino of the Triad and he received a Latino Diamante Award for his contributions to the Latino community in North Carolina.

Jomar Pastorelle - Research Analyst

Born in the Philippines, Jomar Pastorelle recently graduated from the University of North Carolina – Greensboro. Jomar obtained his master’s in Applied Geography with an Urban Planning & Economic Development concentration. Jomar is engaged in research activities for the Global Opportunities Center. His efforts would provide quantitative data to identify and target potential (business) partner(s) for the GO center to connect and establish relationships with.

Navid Hajhashemi - Photographer

Navid is an international student at UNCG who studies Interior Architecture. He is originally from Iran. Besides his interest in design, Navid is passionate about photography, in particular about landscape photography. With his Nikon, he takes gorgeous pictures for the GO Center. If you want to learn more about Navid’s art, take a look at his Instagram profile @navid_ant

Email: navidhajh@gmail.com

Our volunteers are a great source of support, expertise and motivation.
We appreciate their ideas and perspectives which contribute to the GO Center's goal to be an inclusive and connecting hub.