Irena Ashcraft

Experience

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  Cornell University

  Feb 2003 - May 2006

  Cornell Campus Tour Guide & Senior Information Specialist

  ✓ Led campus tours for prospective students and parents, hosted VIP guests and international delegations, recruited and trained new employees, and collaborated with management to develop quality information materials.

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  Summerfuel (Formerly Academic Study Associates)

  Jun 2004 - Jun 2004

  Resident Advisor, Oxford Summer Study Abroad Program

  ✓ Fostered community among 100+ students in this summer pre-college academic program, planned and led cultural adventures, and supervised group excursions to London, Bath, and Stonehenge.

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  Prem Tinsulanonda International School

  Aug 2006 - Jun 2007

  Academic & Boarding Intern

  ✓ Designed and led a completely original 'Secret Agent Training' after-school program for 50+ high school students. Working from scratch, I imagined, planned, and created 16 immersive weekly experiences that featured mental and physical challenges, obstacle courses, code-breaking missions, psychological persuasion tactics, crime scene investigations, and a creative overarching story of glamour, danger, and international intrigue.

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  Institute for the International Education of Students (IES Abroad)

  Oct 2007 - Nov 2009

  Program Coordinator, Customized Programs

  ✓ Collaborated with university clients and international colleagues to co-design customized study abroad programs to South Africa, Morocco, Japan, Italy, Argentina, and the UK. This involved high levels of emotional intelligence, active listening, cultural sensitivity, and diplomacy while working with clients and colleagues at international offices and partner universities.✓ Managed program development, budgets, proposals, contracts, and client relationships for 80+ annual programs. Wrote and pitched program proposals that contributed to $4.9 million in revenue, surpassing goals by 17%. Show less

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  Irena Ashcraft

  Jan 2010 - now

  Copywriter & Communications Professional

  ✓ Collaborate with business leaders and brands to translate their vision into stories that are honest, relatable, and human. As a thought partner, I ask great questions, listen closely, and stay curious, helping clients articulate complex ideas and generate new insights.✓ Plan, co-create, and write engaging content that honors each client’s unique voice. I produce ghostwritten articles, editorials, blog posts, newsletters, book chapters, pitches, video scripts, educational resources, and more. I also write marketing and brand copy for websites, brochures, email funnels, splash pages, ad campaigns, and taglines.✓ Conduct research and interview subject-matter experts on behalf of clients, synthesizing a variety of viewpoints into a coherent message. Fact-check, edit, and seamlessly integrate feedback from multiple sources to produce concise, accurate work.✓ Think big picture, proactively suggesting ideas that connect clients’ stories to shared cultural conversations. My broad-ranging curiosity leads me to attend lectures, speak with experts, and follow up on interesting discoveries. I stay responsive to emerging trends and ideas, integrating developments that add texture, context, and substance to our work. Show less