Meet Our Staff

Travel has been an integral part of Raphael’s life, as he was born in Spain and has spent traveling and living in both the United States and Spain since his infancy. Having family and friends in both countries, as well as being exposed to the international stage at such a young age, greatly influenced his curiosity, understanding, and respect for other peoples and their cultures. Attending school in rural North Carolina, he learned at a young age that many others did not have the same opportunity he had, and since then he has strove to share his enthusiasm for travel and cultural diversity with others. Raphael has traveled throughout Western and Central Europe, Northern Africa, and Peru, as well as extensively throughout the United States.

His curiosity of other cultures fueled his interest in international studies, geography, and history. As an undergraduate, he traveled and studied in Peru for various summers on an archaeological project. He earned a bachelor of arts in anthropology, with minors in archaeology and screen writing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Currently, he is working on his masters in anthropology at Colorado State University, where he has also had the opportunity to teach several courses.

A fan of film history, Playmobil, and of the great outdoors, he also likes to remind certain Global Explorers staff members that Tar Heels are more awesome than Duke Blue Devils.