Meet Our Team
Roman Yavich, Founder - Roman fell in love with travel and sustainability at the same time - while he was studying in college. After a year of studying abroad in Chile and Argentina, where he researched economic inequality, he took sustainable tourism classes back at the University of Colorado, and saw the potential for this industry to support economic development. He received a Fulbright Grant in 2006 to research sustainable tourism in Nicaragua. The following year, he co-founded Comunidad Connect, a nonprofit that funds community work by hosting groups of students and volunteers. Having seen the positive impact that sustainable tourism and study abroad can have on rural communities in Nicaragua, Roman was inspired to bring this model of travel to other parts of the world. That's how Learn from Travel was born in 2017. Roman holds masters degrees in Public Administration and Environmental Science and bachelors degrees in Business Administration and Economics.
Ryan Dibala, Business Development and Lead Guide - Ryan's background is in ecology and sustainable tourism. His research has taken him from raising and releasing bald eagles in California to monitoring scallop growth in Mexican estuaries. More recently, Ryan studied the population dynamics of nesting Cerulean Warblers and interactions between trees and grass in Panamanian silvopastures. Ryan first became interested in tourism when he spent two years developing a cultural conservation project with an indigenous community in Ecuador as a Peace Corps volunteer. He has since guided and facilitated college conservation biology programs in South Africa and Chile. The thing he loves most about travel is the opportunity to grow by getting out of our comfort zones. He's learned that upon returning from a destination, we are never the same person we were when we left. Ryan holds a Ph.D. in Natural Resources from the University of Missouri and an M.S. in Biology from Ball State University.
Grace Galloway, Program Design Specialist - After graduating from Northwestern University, Grace has spent six years living and working in Panama, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Grace has collaborated on community development projects including a community garden, public health infrastructure, and micro-finance. By traveling, Grace has learned the importance of studying history outside the classroom, seeking out and listening to multiple perspectives, and how the choices we make on a daily basis can impact other people and communities around the world.
Isabela Coehlo, Brazil Program Coordinator and Guide - Born in Brazil, Isabela’s career path has always been passion-led in the fields of Experiential Education, Social Entrepreneurship, and Performing Arts. She’s had the good fortune to have studied, lived and worked in many countries such as the US, Nicaragua, Mexico, Australia, Spain, and Thailand, and traveled extensively around the world. Isabela strongly believes in the transformative power of experiences abroad, allowing students and travelers to develop empathy and understand the ‘other’ to bring about authentic change in the world. She loves to spend time in nature, practice yoga, dance and play with her two little sons.
Beatriz Zavala, Mexico and Central America Program Guide - Bea was born and raised in México. She studied business administration but fell in love with tourism and has been traveling nonstop for the last seven years. She works throughout México and Central America, specializing in cultural tourism, including Day of the Dead traditions. In addition to her passion for sharing the region with visitors, she cares deeply about supporting local non-profit organizations and communities where she works. She has helped create new initiatives and raise money for new projects in various communities. She believes that history, architecture, ancient civilizations, culture, traditions, colors, cuisine and the people of every country are unique and are an amazing way to learn about our world. She also believes that traveling opens up people's eyes to new things and reduces misunderstanding between people of different countries.
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