Teri Graf-Pulvino '73

 

I have been having so much fun reading everyone's bio that I forgot mine!!

Isn't it fantastic that we are connected by such an amazing, transformational period of our lives and such a unique cultural experience!
Few universities can brag about this distinction.

My Covell experience continued past graduation as I married Gonzalo Gonzalez and the next 5 years lived in Spain and then Chile, using my Spanish for business positions in both countries; loving both for their unique histories and cultures. I became the " la gringa con la chispa latina", so when I divorced and returned to the U.S., I spent many years rebuilding my English
vocabulary: Going back to get my MBA at Santa Clara University helped. :-)

However, I continued to travel as much as possible, all over the U.S. & Canada & Americas, and including Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Belize, as well as Europe, South Pacific, and Japan. I only occasionally used my bi-lingual ability during the subsequent years in U.S.
sales positions in the high tech industry. However, t was fun surprising people and have a number of amigas latinas nuevas as a result!

At one point, through a long-time trusted amiga chilena who signed me up for an 11-day trek in Aisen in 1995, I even considered starting an Eco-Tour company in Southern Chile. Since then, I have been very involved in missionary trips to mountains of Costa Rica, youth ministries in the bay
area- esp. East Palo Alto with a large Hispanic population, and in the Sierra Foothills near Yosemite where my new husband, Ken, whom some of you have met already (remarried in 1999), and I now live. He loves Chile as much as I do since I introduced him to its charms... and who knows, we may retire there!

I have been blessed to stay in close touch with numerous covelianos over the years (is that really 36 years?), attended number of reunions and worked on the Casa Covell initiative. I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!

Teri Graf-Pulvino '73

P.S. I have a growing concern for the sex tourism trade that has made Guatemala the highest AIDS infection country in Central America. Sexual exploitation of minors is not classified as a crime in Guatemala, where activists say child sex tourism is on the rise. As covelianos, this is something I'd like to address- how to help this beautiful country escape from this horror, bring hope to the poor and save the children.