Parker Pflaum

Prior to joining the Faculty-Led Programs team in 2019, Parker had been leading summer, gap year, and study abroad programs all over the world for the last eight years, including in China, India, Nepal, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Morocco, Guatemala, Peru, and Bolivia. He first studied abroad during his sophomore year at the University of Florida (B.A.) in 2006 in the frigid, industrial city of Changchun in Northeast China. That experience, and his travels since, has made him deeply committed to the importance of travel and study abroad in order to gain the skills and experience to succeed in our complex, ever-changing, and increasingly interconnected modern world.

Parker grew up way out in the countryside in north-central Florida, but has spent the majority of his time since living in China or studying that country while at Harvard University (M.A.). Parker’s love of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors has seen him backpacking extensively throughout much of the world. He once traveled overland (no planes allowed) from Indonesia to the U.S. by way of Eurasia via bus, train, and ship (including the week-long trans-Siberian railway and crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary II). He has been to 48 states and hopes to travel to Idaho and Alaska soon.

When he’s not working, Parker enjoys slack-lining, reading, being silly, and exploring new areas of wherever he is located. In 2016, He hiked the 2,650 mile-long Pacific Crest Trail, which took him five months. He has spent much of the last few years based in South Asia, especially in Varanasi, Ladakh, Nepal, and Sikkim.