Meet the Team: Ilin Misaras

Tell us about yourself.

I was born in Taipei, but my family moved to the U.S. when I was young and we’ve lived in various states throughout the country. I came to North Carolina for work about 18 years ago (the longest I’ve lived in one state), and my husband and I now enjoy raising our two boys in the Triangle. I got my bachelor’s degree in journalism from New York University and spent the first part of my career as a broadcast journalist. Then, I transitioned to working in the field of international education after completing my Master of International Studies here at NC State. I’m excited to be working towards another master’s degree in marketing analytics this fall.

Tell us what you were doing before you came to NC State/GTI.

I was working for a local TV news station when I decided to return to school full-time to get my master’s. I had a great time working for international, national, and local news outlets before going to grad school. My career in journalism actually started by working for CNN International, so I thought it was fitting to fully pursue the “international” element of what I loved about working there.

Tell us what you do in a few sentences.

I was one of the early GTI hires when we were a small unit, so I got to do everything from teaching the classes to driving the airport shuttles. Now that our unit has grown, I mostly oversee the communications and marketing strategy and implementation for the unit. The GTI is relatively unique in what we do, so it’s important for our on-campus and global partners to hear and see the stories of what we have done, are currently doing, and can do in the future.

What do you like to do outside of work?

We enjoy exploring the local community and traveling throughout the state (and the U.S. and the globe) with our kiddos. I also enjoy playing tennis, swimming, and trying new restaurants and cuisines in my spare time.

What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know?

I played basketball for my high school team in 9th grade as a shooting guard. I stopped playing the next year because everyone grew several inches over the summer, and I did not. But if you ask my parents about the countless hours I spent watching Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls win their six championships, you’ll understand why it wasn’t a hard sell to get me to move to NC.

What’s the next place on your travel bucket list?

I really want to do one of the Sound of Music tours in Salzburg, Austria.