Amanda is a program coordinator for the World Smarts STEM Challenge at IREX.

In this role, she supports the implementation of program activities and carries out a variety of programmatic and administrative tasks for the World Smarts STEM Challenge Program.

Amanda has spent more than a decade living, studying, and working in East and Southeast Asia, particularly in Fuzhou, Xiamen, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. She has traveled to 15 countries. 

Prior to joining IREX, she supported international research and higher education programming at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and Peking University. She has also supported marketing and communications efforts through her past roles at supply chain group Luenthai, a Hong Kong tech startup, and a LinkedIn China project. 

Amanda holds an MA in International Relations from Xiamen University, China. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Secondary Education and completed a one-year intensive Chinese language program at Fujian Normal University. She has been awarded multiple merit scholarships for her studies in China. Amanda is a licensed teacher in the Philippines and has professional fluency in Mandarin Chinese, Tagalog, and Kapampangan.

Amanda is passionate about international exchange and is thrilled to be working alongside equally committed professionals of IREX.