SLU-Madrid Office of Admissions staff works to ensure you receive the support you need during the application process. Your application reflects who you are, so we do more than read your application — we get to know who you are and what you want to contribute to our campus community. Once you're admitted, we are your guides on your college admissions journey. 

Heidi Buffington

Director of Admissions
heidi.buffington@slu.edu  
Ext. 206

I grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, and studied abroad in Spain when I was a junior at the College of Wooster. After graduating with a degree in biology and Spanish, I returned to Spain to pursue a Master of Arts in international studies. My first job at SLU-Madrid was as the U.S. study abroad coordinator in 2004, but I have since served as international admissions counselor and graduate admissions coordinator for students from the U.S. and Western Europe. I have been the director of admissions since 2016 and truly enjoy helping students experience life-changing international study experiences like I had.

Degrees

• B.A., Biology and Spanish, The College of Wooster
• M.A., International Studies, Escuela Diplomática de Madrid (Spain)

Mónica Chiclana

Admissions Counselor
Recruitment areas: International schools in Madrid, Southern Spain, Central and South America
monica.chiclana@slu.edu  
Ext. 210
Schedule a Zoom call with me

I joined the SLU-Madrid admissions team in 2010, but I am also a SLU-Madrid and SLU-St. Louis graduate! In addition to working with students from international high schools in Spain and students from Central and South America, I coordinate the alumni association.

Degrees

• B.S., Business Administration/Marketing, Saint Louis University.
• M.A., Communication and Protocol, GADE Business School (Spain).

Cat Gaa

Admissions Communications Coordinator
catherine.gaa@slu.edu 

I call Chicago home, but a summer study abroad program in Valladolid, Spain, during college led me abroad shortly after graduation. I joined the SLU-Madrid admissions team in 2016 as an admissions counselor for our graduate and undergraduate programs. Currently, I am the communications coordinator and the community manager for Raftr, our admitted-student app. I love the challenge of conveying how special our student body and faculty are through email, the web and other media.

Degrees

• B.A., Journalism and Mass Communication, International Studies; University of Iowa.
• M.A., Public Relations, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain).

Kevin Kucholtz

Admissions Assistant
kevin.kucholtz@slu.edu
Ext. 258

A Texan at heart, I moved to Madrid in 2017 after completing my B.A. in Economics. Before joining SLU-Madrid in 2022, I worked as an English as a Second Language teacher and for an EdTech company specializing in continuing education.

Degree

• B.A., Economics, University of Dallas.

Keira Maaked

Admissions Counselor
Recruitment areas: Middle East and Africa
keira.maaked@slu.edu 
Ext. 270
Schedule a Zoom call with me

I am from Spain and have been a member of the SLU-Madrid staff since 2001. I am the key point of contact for students, high schools and universities in the Middle East and Africa and speak French, Arabic, Spanish, English and even a little Polish. 

Degree

• Escuela Superior de Traducción e Interpretación, Universidad de Granada (Spain).

Emir Parrotta

Study Abroad Counselor
emir.parrotta@slu.edu
Ext: 271

Originally from Washington, D.C., I have called Madrid home since 2012. After earning my B.A. in English Literature from McGill University in Montreal, I moved to Madrid, where I have taught English at various schools, such as the British Council, and also organized English teaching programs as CIEE's Teach in Spain coordinator. I joined the admissions team at SLU-Madrid in July 2019 and am the point of contact for all study abroad students.   

Degree

• B.A., English Literature, McGill University.

Emily Pyle

Admissions Counselor
Recruitment areas: Western Europe, the UK, Asia and Pacific, graduate programs
emily.pyle@slu.edu 
Ext. 220
Schedule a Zoom call with me

I am a San Diego native. After completing my B.A. in History with a minor in English literature, I moved to Cádiz in 2012 in order to gain international exposure and to teach English. I joined the admissions staff in 2018 and work with students from Europe, the U.K., Asia and Pacific, as well as coordinate admissions for our two graduate programs. 

Degree

• B.A., History, University of California, San Diego.

Diego Rodríguez-Vila

Admissions Counselor
Recruitment areas: Schools in Madrid, Northern Spain, Central and Eastern Europe
diego.rodriguezvila@slu.edu 
Ext. 275
Schedule a Zoom call with me

I was born in Valladolid but moved to Madrid when I was nine. I have studied at six universities — including SLU — and have worked in college recruiting for Spanish and American universities for 15 years. 

Degrees

• B.A., Advertising, University of Colorado at Boulder.
• Licenciado en Comunicación Audiovisual, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija (Spain).
• Master in Business Administration, ESADE (Spain).

U.S.-Based Admissions Staff

Simón Potter

Study Abroad Counselor
simon.potter.1@slu.edu
Des Peres Hall, Room 102
3649 West Pine Mall
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis MO, 63108
P: (+1) 314 977 3445

Originally from Loveland, Colorado, I moved to St. Louis in 2020 after completing my undergraduate studies. My greatest passions are food, my cat, theatre, and languages, three out of the four to which I attribute to my study-abroad experience in Pamplona, Spain. I'm a polyglot: I speak English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and dabbles in Greek, Polish and Italian, and I wouldn't have embarked on that language journey without having participated in such a transformative experience. Everyone can and should study abroad, and I am driven to spread that belief with the students at Saint Louis University, aiding them in embarking on their own life-altering adventure in Madrid.

Degree

• B.A., History, Missouri S&T.

Michaela Rogan

Admissions Counselor
Recruitment areas: North America
michaela.rogan@slu.edu
Des Peres Hall, Suite 102
3694 West Pine Mall
Saint Louis University
St. Louis, MO 63108
P: (+1) 314 977 3416
Schedule a Zoom call with me

Born and raised in St. Louis, I grew up going to SLU basketball games with my dad. Wanting to go to college a bit farther from home, I studied Spanish education at the University of Dayton, where a spark to travel and experience life abroad was ignited. I spent a semester studying in Costa Rica while living with a host family during college. Determined to live in Spain, I decided to be an au pair in Granada before receiving a Fulbright grant to assist in English classes at a higher education institute in Mendoza, Argentina. These experiences developed my passion for international education, and I am honored to assist prospective students in the United States and Canada to pursue their own experience abroad at the one-of-a-kind Saint Louis University — Madrid Campus.

Degree

• B.S., Foreign Language Education, concentration in Spanish; University of Dayton.