Meet the trip leaders

2009 Peru leaders: Hannah Gilkenson and Yaser Robles

HANNAH GILKENSON: University of Michigan, B.S. Hannah graduated with honors in Anthropology-Zoology from the University of Michigan, where she studied chimpanzee behavior and vocalizations. She worked with bats at the University of Maryland and at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. before moving to Costa Rica to study the social behavior of the white-faced capuchin monkey. Hannah remained in Costa Rica for six years working as the field station manager for the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. In Costa Rica she worked closely with the community where she lived, and succeeded in bringing conservation education to local school children. Hannah now works as an Associate Director at Putney helping to coordinate programs in Latin America and overseeing staffing for Putney’s Excel programs. This will be Hannah’s third summer with Putney. She taught wildlife and ecology for Putney's Costa Rica Foundations program and this past summer led a National Geographic Student Expeditions program to Ecuador and the Galapagos. Hannah is fluent in Spanish and proficient in German.

YASER ROBLES: Brandeis University, B.A., Political Science & Latin American Studies; SUNY Buffalo, M.A., Caribbean Cultural Studies; SUNY Albany, Ph.D Candidate, Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino Studies. Yaser’s commitment to cultural understanding and community service has taken him to many different parts of the world. As a high school student he participated in two cultural exchange programs to Israel and to Mexico. While at Brandeis University, Yaser interned at the Center for Middle East Non-Violence and Democracy, a non-profit organization located in East Jerusalem. There, he helped coordinate a summer camp for youth living in conflict areas. Participating students came from occupied Palestinian territory, Northern Ireland, and South Africa. As an Ethics and Coexistence Fellow at Brandeis, Yaser interned at another non-profit organization called Ikamba Labantu in Cape Town, South Africa. He taught English to Angolan and Congolese refugees and coordinated a summer program teaching students life skills through the arts, music, and theater. During his time at Brandeis, Yaser participated in study abroad programs in Cuba and Brazil. Upon graduation, Yaser returned to his community in the South Bronx in New York City, where he worked as a College Advisor for ASPIRA of New York, Inc. Currently Yaser is pursuing a Ph.D at SUNY Albany, where he is also an undergraduate instructor. This will be Yaser’s second summer with Putney. He led a Community Service program in Brazil in 2006. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.