The Bridge Officers

Matthew Amato
Alumni Coordinator

Matthew was born and raised in New Jersey, USA. He attended American University majoring in Political Science for two years before completing his undergraduate career and earning his Bachelors degree in Business Management at Monmouth University. During the September 2007 voyage, he was a member of the Postgraduate International Business Learning Circle. Currently, Matt is completing his Masters of International Business at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. Upon completion of his degree he will return to the East Coast of the United States to continue working as the Alumni Coordinator for The Scholar Ship. In this role, Matthew will fulfil his passion for working across cultural boundaries to build both friendships and working relationships with people from around the world.

Caitlin Bell
Bridge Officer

Caitlin is in her final year of law school at Macquarie University, The Scholar Ship’s partner university in Australia. She holds a Bachelors degree in Social Science with a focus in Politics and International Relations. Caitlin studied in the Undergraduate Conflict Studies Learning Circle onboard The Scholar Ship where she took part in once in a lifetime experiences which included meeting revolutionaries and politicians and living in the jungle. When she isn’t sailing around the world on The Scholar Ship, Caitlin works extensively with youth organizations. Her true passion is social justice and striving to ensure that other young people are offered the same opportunities that she has had in life. She is the Director of the Rotary Youth Leadership Alumni Network in Sydney, a Board Member for the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme, and a volunteer with Camp Quality.  Along with a group of friends, Caitlin founded the Crosslands Rotaract Club, which runs several successful development projects in East Timor.




Jarin Chu
Bridge Officer

Jarin was born in Fremont, California, and has lived in Taiwan for twelve years. Currently a freshman at Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, Jarin has a passion for history and political science. Also deeply committed to community service, she received the 2006 Taiwan Presidential Award for her services in English education in Yunnan Province, China, as well as her two years of leadership as president of InterAct Club at the National Experimental High School, Taiwan. Onboard The Scholar Ship, Jarin further explored her interest in humanitarian improvement with the Undergraduate Conflict Studies Learning Circle and learned about international conflicts in her favorite class, International Security.

Dounia Kcheire
Bridge Officer

Dounia Kchiere is 21 years old and hails from Morocco. She is a senior student at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane where she majors in Computer Science and minors in Management.   She is also an ambassador of The One World Youth Project Organization where she helps implement cultural exchange programs along with the Millennium Development Goals in coordination with the United Nations.   She speaks Arabic, French, and English. Dounia is excited about joining The Bridge team. She looks forward to keeping in touch with The Scholar Ship community and helping to smoothly integrate future generations of TSS students into The Bridge!

Sebastian Mahl
Bridge Officer

Sebastian is currently enrolled in his last semester at Macquarie University where he is studying to receive a Masters degree in International Business. Before Sebastian came aboard The Scholar Ship, he graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in Business Management from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. He minored in International Business, Financial Service Management, and Operations Management. During his time in Providence, Sebastian was the VP of the International Club. Before undertaking academics, he led a recon unit in the Swedish Army, something he says helped him form his personal credo: Explore, Secure, and Learn. Onboard the ship, Sebastian put his credo into practice as a part of the Postgraduate International Business Learning Circle in which he participated in Academic Field Program’s in Portugal, Ecuador, and Shanghai.

Eduardo Molina
Bridge Officer

Molina is studying International Affairs at Tecnológico de Monterrey, The Scholar Ship's partner university in Mexico. He was part of the Undergraduate Conflict Studies Learning Circle during the September 2007 Inaugural voyage. Molina has been involved in Model United Nations programs in Mexico and the United States.  He volunteers for both the MUN Consulting AC and the United Nations Association of the United States of America. At his home university, Molina also organizes symposiums, conferences, and other events.  Onboard TSS, Molina played an instrumental role in securing a balanced nutritional diet for all TSS participants.

Arturo Pelayo
Bridge Officer

Arturo is in his final semester of the Master's in Instructional Design program at Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL, USA. Arturo also holds a Bachelors degree in Physics with minors in Manufacturing Engineering Technology, Mathematics, German, and French. Arturo has also lived abroad in Germany, where in the summer of 2001 he was a Scholar of the Munich Technical University's (TUM) Summer Language and Culture Course sponsored by Germany's DAAD. In the summer of 2003, he worked as a Materials Engineer for the Research and Development facilities of Siemens Medical Solutions in the Computer Tomography Division in Erlangen, Germany. Arturo studied in the Postgraduate International Communications Learning Circle on the Inaugural voyage of The Scholar Ship in September 2007. He created the online community of TSS on Facebook in February 2007 and is an active manager of the group.