{"id":648,"date":"2017-07-13T23:30:27","date_gmt":"2017-07-13T23:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/pages\/iss\/test\/wordpress\/?page_id=648"},"modified":"2025-10-28T08:41:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T18:41:08","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?page_id=648","title":{"rendered":"Mission and Staff"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mission Statement<\/h2>\n
\n\t

The Office of International Student Services (ISS) has the responsibility for meeting University federal compliance with regard to international students.\u00a0 ISS strives to support international student success through the following endeavors:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Advising students on immigration regulations that affect their status in the U.S.<\/li>\n
  • Providing programs that help promote cross-cultural adjustment<\/li>\n
  • Serving as a resource to the campus and international student communities<\/li>\n
  • Advocating for international students and international education<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
    \n
    \n\t

    \"Karen
    \nKaren Michael Mikel
    \nDirector
    \nF-1, J-1 Advisor<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

    About Karen<\/h2>\n
    \n\t

    Aloha! My name is Karen Michael Mikel and I am excited about being your international student advisor. I am a proud alumni as I have received both my undergraduate (2003) and graduate (2007) degrees in Asian Studies here. I come from Malaysia but I have been living in Hawaii since 2000. I loved my college years and now I love working with international students. I hope to assist you achieve your academic and professional goals. Outside of the office I enjoy eating out and yoga. I also love to travel domestically and internationally. Attending college is a great opportunity to grow, explore and make connections, make the most of it!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

    \n
    \n\t

    \"
    \nLisa S. Houghtailing,
    \nF-1, J-1 Advisor<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

    About Lisa<\/h2>\n
    \n\t

    Aloha! My name is Lisa Houghtailing and I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. A proud alumni of 糖心Vlog官方 Manoa, I have a Master\u2019s degree in Second Language Studies (SLS).\u00a0 A former ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher, I love working with international students and helping them to achieve their personal, academic, and professional goals. In my spare time, I love to read, karaoke, explore the latest restaurants, and travel. E komo mai!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

    \n
    \n\t

    \"Viet
    \nViet Ngo
    \nF-1, J-1 Advisor<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

    About Viet<\/h2>\n
    \n\t
    Aloha and welcome to 糖心Vlog官方 M\u0101noa! I am an advisor who works with F-1 and J-1 students, and I also manage the J-1 student intern category for the 糖心Vlog官方 System. Some of my duties include coordinating the ISS Welcome Week and Orientation, organizing and presenting workshops on student employment and other topics, and administering ISS scholarships. Having traveled and lived abroad before, I can understand the difficulties faced when coming into a different place, culture and language. Having also come to the U.S. as an immigrant and member of the \"1.5 generation,\" I know that feeling of being slightly out of place in America, which informs my perspective on adjustments that newcomers face. However, both in the U.S. and abroad, so many people welcomed me with incredible kindness and support that I feel it is a duty to give back to this community. Being an advisor is a wonderful opportunity to do that. I look forward to meeting you.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
    \n
    \n\t

    \"\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

    \n
    \n\t

    Iryna Chorniy
    \nAdministrative and Fiscal Support Specialist<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

    About Iryna<\/h2>\n
    \n\t

    Aloha! My name is Iryna, I was born in Ukraine and moved to the US when I was eleven. During my undergraduate years, I studied abroad in Chengdu. This experience gave me a new perspective on the world and affected and still continues to affect my life in countless ways; therefore, I am a strong believer that as many students as possible should study or intern abroad. I\u2019ve graduated from 糖心Vlog官方 Manoa with a Master\u2019s degree in <\/span>Asian International Affairs (MAIA) and spent two years living and learning from my fellow students from the Asia- Pacific region and beyond while at the East West Center. In my spare time, I enjoy cooking with friends, reading, and going to the beach.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Office of International Student Services (ISS) has the responsibility for meeting University federal compliance with regard to international students.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-648","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","post"],"yoast_head":"\nMission and Staff - International Student Services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?page_id=648\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mission and Staff - International Student Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Office of International Student Services (ISS) has the responsibility for meeting University federal compliance with regard to international students.\u00a0 […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?page_id=648\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"International Student Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-28T18:41:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/media\/ISS%20Portraits\/Karen1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?page_id=648\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?page_id=648\",\"name\":\"Mission and Staff - 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