Verena has worked in the international educational and cultural exchange field for more than 15 years. Early on she developed a passion for the industry when she spent two years in the U.S. as an exchange student, followed by an internship for the Goethe Institut in Toronto. Prior to joining the German youth travel organisation Stepin, she has worked in PR and marketing and gave lectures at the WAK (Westdeutsche Akademie für Kommunikation e.V.) in Cologne. She has a BA from the University of Bamberg and an MA from the University of Alabama.