International Student Services: Staff
Stephen Crook - Director–International Student Services/DSO/RO
Steve grew up living in Taiwan and Hong Kong. He graduated from BYU with a Masters of Accounting. After college, he spent 5 years working for a joint venture company in Asia. Since 2007, Steve has been working in the International Student Service (ISS) Department at UVU. Steve comments, "UVU is such an exciting place to be! There are so many opportunities to shape the future of the institution. You really feel like you can make a difference." Steve is responsible for International Student Services at UVU.
He is married to Lacy and has 7 awesome kids. He enjoys waterskiing, snowboarding, hiking, snow shoeing, and visiting new places.
Junko Watabe - Senior International Student Advisor/PDSO/RO
Originally from Fukuoka, which is located on a beautiful island, Kyushuu, south of the main island of Japan. Graduated with BA from Brigham Young University in Linguistics and minored in TESL. Has four children: Leo, Andrew, Melanie and Emily. Her husband, Masasue, is a school teacher at Maeser Academy.
She has been working at UVU since 1990 as a Coordinator and a Senior International Student Advisor. She came to the United States as a student and became a naturalized citizen. Being a student from another country gives her a deeper understanding of the challenges and responsibilities of the international students. She enjoys working with many great students from all over the world and with friendly and caring people at the university.
Michiko Arthur - International Student Advisor/DSO
Michiko was born and raised in Yokohama, a port city south of Tokyo. She graduated from Brigham Young University. She subsequently returned to Japan and worked at a computer company. She still enjoys working with computers.
Michiko started working at ISS in 2011. Since she has had the experience of being an international student also, she understands many of your concerns. She enjoys talking with international students from all over the world; she feels this gives her a taste of having visited any number of exotic places.
Michiko and her husband have two Golden Retrievers. Her hobbies are playing computer games, watching movies, and learning about languages and places.
Ana Farias - Office Admin / International Student Advisor
Ana was born in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, but has lived in the US for over 35 years. She graduated from UVU with a Bachelor of Spanish, and has spent many years translating and interpreting for Provo School District. She has 2 daughters who both graduated from UVU as well, so Wolverine Spirit runs deep in her family. She also has 2 young grandsons, future Wolverines.
Ana has worked for UVU for almost a year in the International Department and has enjoyed the interaction with students of diverse backgrounds. Ana was an international student at BYU, when she first came to the US. She is finding that having that experience has helped her in better serving the students in the center. Every student brings uniqueness to the department, and she values that unique quality of international students.
Ana likes to play tennis, dance, and learn about other cultures. She enjoys a good book and documentaries about history or famous historical figures. She stays active and involved in her children’s lives.
