Marcella Kirschbaum is a native of Anchorage, Alaska, having also lived in California and Hawaii before landing in Utah.
Marcella graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in International Studies and minors in Arabic, and Peace and Conflict Studies. Marcella served internships with the International Rescue Committee, as well as Women of the World, a non-profit focusing on self-reliance skills for refugee women. In May 2019, she earned her Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution from the University of Utah, Department of Communication.

While working as a Teaching Assistant for Dr. Dave Derezotes, Marcella discovered the rewards of empowering students to reach their academic goals. Now a member of NACADA (National Academic Advising Association), Marcella uses the Appreciative Advising philosophy and enjoys helping students discover their roles and contributions as global citizens.

Marcella has a passion for International Education and is an active member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. She believes in NAFSA’s core value that international education fosters deeper understanding and respect among people of diverse backgrounds. Education abroad has the ability to teach students how others make meaning of the world.

Prior to working in Higher Education, Marcella was an entrepreneur within the beauty and wellness industry, while also running an e-commerce website. As a small business owner, she graduated from Leadership Utah at the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and served as the chair of the Women’s Business Forum. She also served as a mentor through the Women’s Network for Entrepreneurial Training, and eventually earned the Chamber Champion award for community involvement.

When not at work, Marcella enjoys spending time with her family and loves to travel. She admits to spending far too much time surfing Airbnb and Google Flights, searching for low-cost airfare to faraway places.