Check Out Rebecca Grappo’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Grappo

Hi Rebecca, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Whenever someone asks me for my origin story for RNG International, I ask them if they want the long version or the short one? I’ll try to keep it rather brief. My parents loved to travel and so I had the opportunity to go abroad at an early age. When I was a teenager, I had the opportunity to live with an Italian family as an AFS student. That led me to want to major in International Studies with the hopes of one day doing “something international”, though I wasn’t sure what it would be. While in college I did a one-year study abroad in Luxembourg and then spent a summer living with a family in Switzerland. By the time I got married, I had already lived in 3 countries. My husband was also very experienced with living and working overseas, so we were well-suited for our journey as expats. Our first assignment was Costa Rica when he worked for a multinational company. He eventually joined the US diplomatic service and we were posted to Nicaragua, then Portugal, and then back to Washington, DC. During those years I had various opportunities to also work at the embassies, but I knew I wanted something more for myself.

When we came back to Washington, I decided to go back to school to get my master’s degree in education. By then, we had 3 small children so I took it one class at a time over the next four years. I finished my Master’s in Education (M.Ed.) just as we were getting ready to move overseas again to Jordan, and as luck would have it, I was hired to teach at the American Community School in Amman. I loved everything about teaching there so much!! Four years later we moved to Oman and I taught at The American International School of Muscat – also a dream job! Coming back to the US and teaching in a Virginia public school was a shock to the system but I learned so much that year. From there, I was able to capitalize on all my prior experiences working overseas, teaching in international schools, raising my own children abroad, and was selected for my dream job as the Education and Youth Officer at the State Department. There I helped the families and children of US diplomats figure out how to help their children and teens thrive through various international moves, school systems, and other challenges.

I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to get to combine for love for “something international” with education. I practically skipped to work every day! During those years, I not only worked with families but on all kinds of allowance issues, through geo-political upheavals that affected State Department youth. I also helped families figure out the appropriateness of international schools for their own children when bidding on assignments or opt for the boarding school option when it was in the child’s interest to do that instead. Foreign Service families also came to me for help with their kids that had learning differences or mental health challenges, and then they asked for more relevant advice regarding US college admissions. With the support of my fabulous director and deputy director, I was able to identify the needs of FS kids and then work to address them. I was very pleased to be honored with a Franklin Award and Superior Honor Award at the end of my four years working at State.

Life changed again when my husband was appointed to be the US Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman. We were going “home” in a way, but I knew that because I also had a new role as the “wife of”, I would not be able to work as a teacher again nor would anyone give me a job. We had children in college and I not only wanted to work, but I needed to work, too. I had learned about the field of educational consulting while traveling to visit boarding schools while working at State, and I knew what a difference having access to expert advice could make in the lives of students and families. But very few people I knew of through my professional association, the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), was doing international educational consulting in the American model of delivering services. So I took a deep breath and decided that it was my “now or never” moment.

Thus, RNG International Educational Consultants was formed in January 2007 with a mission to “transform lives and provide innovative solutions through expert educational advice for students and families around the world.”

My daughter, Michelle Grappo, joined the practice in 2013 and she brought with her a clinical lens to understand how to work with students who learn differently or might have a mental health issue.

Together, we have worked with over 1000 students and families and seen hundreds of boarding schools and universities around the world. Looking back on it, I think I can say that I got to do “something international” and my dream came true!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I faced so many obstacles in the early days. First of all, by being overseas, I was far from my peers and colleagues. Participating in online classes to get my Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA and taking an active role in IECA were my connection and lifeline to my professional life.

I was still internationally mobile, so I knew I couldn’t dig in and base my practice in only one place, either. I had to keep myself nimble so that my work would continue no matter where we would be assigned next. But that actually turned into my strength, as people identified me in those early days as the one who was “international” and I always won the award for having traveled the furthest to get to conferences. My identity and brand was so international, in fact, that it led to many referrals in those early days and really helped me in the end. I can say that 18 years later, I have worked every single day except for Thanksgiving and Christmas, never missing a beat despite having moved after Oman to Dubai, Jerusalem, and eventually Colorado.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Fun fact: I have now traveled over 1 million miles on United Airlines during my career in international education.

Now I work with students and families in my home state of Colorado, throughout the US, and literally around the world. My oldest daughter, Michelle Grappo, is a school psychologist and she also works with me. Together we can help a family navigate the world of boarding schools, therapeutic schools and programs for mental health issues, and work on the college search and application process for universities in the US, Canada, the UK, Europe, and other destinations as well. One thing I have learned is that no matter how much I think I know, there is always more to learn!

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Sadly, I don’t really have time to reach much for leisure – most of my reading and podcast listening is based on educational materials, webinars, and podcasts. I do find that interesting but I wish I had more time to just pick up a book and read for fun. I will say my favorite podcast is from Julia Luis Dreyfuss, “Wiser than Me”. My daughters sent it to me and we all love it!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rnginternational.com
• Instagram: @RNGInternational
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RNGInternational

Image Credits
Photo 1: Rebecca Grappo, photography credit is Rachel Sorbet.
Photo 2: Rebecca and Michelle in Brussels at the International School Counselor Association conference – selfie
Photo 3: Rebecca and Michelle Grappo, photography credit is Rachel Sorbet