Yoana Samper de Walschap

Yoana Walschap is the Director of the Energy Institute of the Americas (EIA) at the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy, located at the University of Oklahoma (OU). She has been associated with the Institute since it’s establishment in 1995 being named director in 2002. During her 20 years at the Institute she has been instrumental in the creation of several cooperation agreements between OU and Latin American Universities and bringing over 400 Latin American students for graduate and undergraduate studies in energy related fields. She is also the Study Abroad Liaison and International Program Coordinator for the Mewbourne College.

Yoana is very active with the Latino community in Oklahoma; started the Colombian Student Association (COLSA) in 2001, the Colombian OU Alumni Association (COUAA) in 2007, was Board member of the Latino Community Development Agency (LCDA) for 12 years, and joined Smile Education Foundation (SEF) – formerly Smile Colombia, as board member in 2010. She became SEF’s President since May 2015. She is also a member of Latina Woman in Norman (Latinas WIN) a philanthropic organization that also supports education in the Latino community in Norman.

Yoana enjoys creating jewelry made with materials from different parts of the world. Her Colombian roots and her passion for the native cultures made her pursuit a career in Anthropology. She sells her unique pieces with the sole purpose to contribute 100% to support worthy causes such as scholarships and organizations focused on education. Within SEF, Yoana leads the project in Jardin, Antioquia known as OTACA, a NASA project that globally monitors climate change. She loves traveling, singing at church and cooking as well.
Yoana is married to a Belgian mathematician and has two sons, Eric and Stefan Walschap. She has been living in the USA since 1983, and in Norman, OK since 1990.

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