With various experiences living in other countries and a desire to build international communities among international students in Houston, our team loves to help connect the nations through friendship. We would love to welcome you to Houston!
Cyndi Badal
Team Leader (UH)
Cyndi was born and raised in Houston, Texas. She went to Texas A&M University and after graduating lived in China for 5 years. Cyndi moved back to Houston to marry her awesome husband Scott. She loves hanging out with her puppy and family, being outside, and learning about different cultures.
Email me: cyndi.badal@bridgesinternational.com
Alex Cardenas
Houston Campus Staff (UH)
Alex is from San Salvador, El Salvador. In the fall of 2008, he moved up to Houston, TX as an international student. He graduated from the University of Houston in Spring 2016 with a master’s degree in Management Information Systems. Alex enjoys playing board games, cooking with friends, traveling and exploring new places, watching Bollywood movies, and loves serving students from around the world at the University of Houston. Go Coogs!
Email me: alex.cardenas@bridgesinternational.com
Daka & Heather Dyussekov
Houston Campus Staff (UH)
Daka is originally from Kazakhstan; Heather is American and lived in Saudi Arabia and Russia. Their first date was at an international cultural festival. They like making friends from all over the world and helping students feel at home while they are here in the US. They especially love when students have their own children that are friends with David and Anne.
Email me: ddyussekov@bridgesinternational.com, heather.ddyussekov@bridgesinternational.com
Nate Pennings
Houston Campus Staff (HCC, HBU, NAU)
Nate is from East Lansing, Michigan and he has lived in 3 different countries and 4 different US states since leaving home to attend college. He loves traveling and exploring new places with his wife, Wendy, and their 4 children. He also loves learning about other cultures, languages, and traditions- that’s one thing that makes him so excited about meeting new international students!
Email me: nate.pennings@bridgesinternational.com
Wendy Pennings
Houston Campus Staff (HCC, HBU, NAU)
Wendy is from Cleveland, Ohio. Wendy has lived here in Houston with her husband, Nate, and their four children since 2016. Before that, they had many adventures together while living for 8 years in Central Asia. She spends a lot of time at home with her family- helping them with life and education and she loves spending time with her friends while enjoying coffee and deep conversation.
Email me: wendy.pennings@bridgesinternational.com
Houston Bridges 