HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Travel is an opportunity to learn and discover new cultures, so we encourage others to travel as a learning experience.

2022 was a year that started with some uncertainty in so many ways when it came to travel but thankfully, we were able to make our July 2022 trip to Europe become a reality. There were some bumps in the road leading to our trip with itinerary changes not only due to the COVID situation but also to the conflict in Ukraine and Russia. Travelers and parents were flexible as we navigated those uncertain waters, but in the end, we had a successful trip with our awesome tour director, Mia Rakocevic, and group leader, Dionne Nichols. 

As we begin 2023, we are making some changes to how often we schedule a trip. Since Vinton Worldtrekkers began in 2016 - Cherry Bell literally decided on the name in the Dulles International Airport as she departed with her first ever group of travelers - trips are planned at least 2 years out to give travelers enough time to make smaller and more manageable payments towards a trip. If you are new to Vinton WorldTrekkers, you may already be familiar with our group leaders Cherry Bell and Dionne; we would like to reintroduce them to you but also introduce our new teacher with Vinton WorldTrekkers, Ashley Satterfield, who will be leading our 2025 tour. Stay tuned for more information on that trip!

Read more about each of our group leaders below!

Leading our 2024 trip to Japan

Cherry Bell Damasco-Farrington

Cherry Bell Damasco-Farrington taught Spanish at William Byrd High School between 2004 and 2016. Starting in 2016, she became the Instructional Technology Resource Teacher (ITRT), which allows her to work with all William Byrd High School students and staff in some capacity throughout the school year. Cherry Bell is the Junior Class and Terrier TV sponsor as well as working as an adjunct Spanish instructor with Virtual Virginia. 

Born in the Philippines, Cherry Bell moved to the United States at the age of seven with her family and lived in three different states throughout her grade school years: Texas, Virginia, and Michigan, all the while traveling with her family up and down the East coast to the Midwest. During her 8th-grade to 11th-grade year of high school, Cherry Bell lived in Colima, Mexico with her younger sister and parents where she learned Spanish. Cherry Bell returned to the Roanoke Valley during school breaks and ultimately for her senior year of high school. 

Cherry Bell holds a bachelor's in Spanish Education from the California University of Pennsylvania and a master's in Instructional Design and Technology from Emporia State University in Kansas. Cherry Bell's first experience with EF Tours was as a group leader in 2016 traveling with William Byrd High School students and community members. 

Cherry Bell has traveled to the Philippines, Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein. Each adventure has proven that there is just so much to see and learn of the world around us. Even though each country varies in language, history, and culture, there are still so many things to tie us all together. 

Leading our 2026 trip to Scotland

Dionne Nichols

Dionne Nichols teaches English at William Byrd High School. She's been with Roanoke County Schools for the past 19 years. Additionally, Dionne has collegiate experience with 3 different post-secondary schools and works closely with College Board to score AP Literature tests. 

Originally from Wisconsin, Dionne moved to Virginia when she was in 8th grade and finished her education here, in southwest Virginia. Dionne holds a bachelor's and master's degrees in English Literature from Radford University, but her experiences with EF began when she was in high school. Dionne traveled to Europe her senior year of school and the wanderlust bug bit.

Dionne has traveled to Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, France, England, Mexico, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, and Austria. Ever in search of cooler weather in summer, she is excited to someday travel to Australia during our summer (their winter), and the Scandinavian countries, where she has some ancestry. 

Ultimately, though - she genuinely wants to see everything the beautiful Earth has to offer!

Leading our 2025 trip to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland

Ashley Satterfield

Ashley Satterfield teaches English at William Byrd High School. She began her teaching career in Greensboro, NC in 2016 and joined William Byrd in 2020.  

 

Ashley had the unique opportunity from a young age to travel and live all over the country. She was born in Minnesota and from there lived in California, Kansas, Missouri, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania all before she was 18. Ashley graduated from Washington and Jefferson College in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in English. While in college, she was able to travel overseas and study in Alicante, Spain for a month.  

 

After graduation, Ashley took a break from academia and moved to Los Angeles where she performed sketch and improv comedy. Ashley then went back to school and received a Master’s in Secondary Education from Slippery Rock University in 2016. Currently in her 7^th year in education, she is excited to travel with students overseas. She is a strong believer that not all learning happens in the classroom and some of the biggest growth comes from traveling and experiencing other cultures.  

 

Ashley has traveled to Mexico, Puerto Rico, French Polynesia, Italy, Spain, Senegal, The Gambia and Dominican Republic. She is looking forward to exploring more of Europe in the future especially Germany, Austria and Scandinavia. Eventually she would like to travel to Morocco, Vietnam and American Samoa.  

Join us in traveling forward, always forward, everywhere forward!