A Southern California native, CAROLYN BONADIO, grew up with a passion for travel and foreign languages. While a student at Santa Margarita High School, she spent a summer abroad studying Spanish along the Costa del Sol in Spain. And so the journey began...
In 1995, she returned to Spain to study at the Universidad de Salamanca. Upon returning to the United States, she earned her Bachelors Degree in Linguistics from the University of California at Santa Barbara, with an emphasis on Spanish.
After graduation, Carolyn moved to Costa Rica to take advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime. She organized, owned, and operated Escuela Mariposa, a private bilingual school in Playa Potrero. After three years of working as co-director and teacher at the school, it was time to leave the jungle and return home to Southern California.
She spent the next five years teaching in the Lawndale Elementary School District and at New Roads Middle School in Santa Monica as well as tutoring Spanish to private clients. In order to pursue her lifelong dream, she teamed up with Debra Devine Morton to found Destino Abroad.
When Carolyn isn’t teaching, she explores the world, having traveled throughout Southeast Asia, India, Europe and Latin America. She also loves the outdoors and enjoys snow boarding, scuba diving and hiking.
Debra Devine Morton is a native of Southern California who has spent most of her adult life on the go! She lived in Ecuador as an AFS exchange student where she became fluent in Spanish and began her love for all things Latin American.
After graduating from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in International Relations, she began her career in journalism at Telemundo’s Chicago affiliate. After a stint in the Windy City, she spent the next 10 years working for CNN’s Spanish Language Network and CNN International and eventually became Director of Operations and New Business. The travel continued as Deb became part of a team, chosen to launch non-English speaking CNN programs and news networks in Spain, Mexico and Turkey.
Finally, motherhood took precedence and Deb traded her international career for one teaching Spanish at Harbor Day School in Newport Beach. She has organized and led a number of student trips to various Spanish-speaking destinations, including Peru and Ecuador. Currently Deb, husband Jim, son T.J. and daughter Maggie reside in Newport Beach, California. Deb’s enthusiasm for teaching, travel, and business is infectious and Destino Abroad is the culmination of extensive experience in each.
For as long as she can remember, KENDY TAYLOR has been fascinated by languages. She began teaching English as a Second Language at an early age in her hometown of Santa Clarita and the San Fernando Valley. In high school, she began her pursuit of Spanish studies and was actively involved in the Spanish Honor Society. She has also worked as a Spanish tutor at Spectrum Languages in Irvine, California.
A passionate advocate of community service, Kendy is constantly looking for someplace to volunteer her services. In 2007, she co-founded and developed the Orange County Prom Dress Drive. She also spent time in New Orleans volunteering to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Recently, she worked with students to help organize a charity that donates shoes to low-income families in Central America.
Kendy spent last year studying Spanish in Barcelona, Spain. She plans on graduating his year from the University of California at Irvine with a double major B.A. in Spanish and Global Cultures.
When Kendy does have free time, she enjoys painting, traveling and gaining inspiration wherever she goes.
BARET BERTEA WALKER has always had an eye to explore the world’s natural beauty. As a child, she got the travel and adventure bug from her family and has since lived, studied, worked and played abroad extensively. Baret’s first long term international experience began when she was encouraged to learn about her Swiss roots by attending boarding school in Switzerland her freshman and sophomore years of high school. At Le Rosey, in Rolle, she learned French and Spanish and traveled through much of Europe. Returning home, Baret received her B.A. in French and Political Science from Middlebury College.
After college, Baret used her Spanish skills working for a public relations firm in New York with international clientele. These contacts led her to Caracas, Venezuela, where she reported for the Daily Journal covering politics and traveling in South America.
Baret is married with three children living in Denver, Colorado. Currently, she and her husband Todd serve as hosts for the International Visitor Leadership Program which works in conjunction with the U.S. State Department, to pair international leaders and professionals with American counterparts. Baret is a part-time photographer and a mentor for Hispanic families at her children’s school. She loves travel, cooking and cross-cultural exchanges.
Born and raised in Southern California, LAUREN PAWELL’s passion for Spanish began in 8th grade at Corona del Mar High School. Always eager to share her interests with others, Lauren has both tutored and mentored, teaching Spanish to English speakers and English to native Spanish speakers.
As a Spanish major at the University of Southern California, she spent a year studying in Madrid and Bilbao, Spain. Her extensive travels have taken her to various places including Mexico, Spain, Peru, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Morocco, France, Italy, and Croatia.
Lauren graduated this year from the USC with a B.A. in Spanish. Recently, she was accepted to a USC sponsored MBA Program in Spain and France. She looks forward to the new adventure abroad that begins in September.
In addition to her passion for languages and travel, Lauren also loves dancing, reading, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.
DREW DEVINE is a Southern California native who, like sister Debbie, has spent much of his adult life traveling the globe. After graduating from Corona del Mar High School, he spent a year in Caracas, Venezuela as an AFS exchange student where his love of other cultures was born.
After university in Santa Barbara, Drew set off to travel and surf the world. He has surfed throughout Europe, Tahiti, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Nias, Vietnam, Venezuela, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Mexico, Eastern & Western Australia, Bali, Sumatra, and the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia.
Drew has a keen talent for teaching surfing and ocean safety. He spent 4 years life-guarding for the City of Newport Beach and soon became an instructor for the Junior Lifeguards of Newport Beach. After 3 years working as a Junior Lifeguard Instructor, he was hired as Director of the Quiksilver Surf Camp in Newport Beach. For the past 5 years he has enjoyed working with Quiksilver and sharing his love of surfing and the ocean with the youth of Orange County.
An accomplished lifeguard, Drew is certified in both First Aid and CPR. Currently, Drew lives in Newport Beach with wife Kristie.
In addition to his passion for surfing, Drew also enjoys snowboarding, skiing, scuba diving, riding horses, and exploring the world.
