The English Language Institute (ELI) is an English language program that serves students who have been admitted to the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and who do not speak English as a native language (primarily international and immigrant students). The primary purpose of the ELI is to provide instruction to help students with academic English, effective study strategies, and integration into the UH-Manoa academic community, in order to facilitate their academic studies.
Meet the ELI Instructors
All ELI faculty are graduate students pursuing their MA or PhD in Second Language Studies. They have extensive language learning and teaching experience and expertise in language instruction.
In Ji (Sera) Chun
In Ji (or Sera), PhD student in SLS, was born in South Korea, but raised in six different countries. Her academic interest lies in many different areas related to language pedagogy, including task-based language teaching, classroom interaction, teacher education, learner and teacher emotions, and speaking skills. Outside of school, she enjoys trying out food from different countries and loves spending time with family, especially her adorable nieces.
Akiko Doyama
Akiko, MA student in SLS, has resided in six cities so far (Brussels, LA, NY, Tokyo, Nagoya, and Honolulu), which sparked her interest in dialects and languages. Akiko has prior experience as an English teacher in Tokyo, Japan. Before committing to the English profession, she worked in the music entertainment industry in a multicultural and multilingual environment. Akiko’s current field of interests are second language teaching and multicultural communication. When not studying or teaching, she likes to be outdoors with her friends & family to eat, drink, and listen to nice music ♪
Lin Chen
Originally from China, Lin came to Hawaii to join UH Manoa’s Second Language Studies PhD program, where she focuses on conversation analysis. She has been teaching in the English Language Institute since Spring 2022. Previously, Lin has been a private tutor and has taught in volunteer positions.
Krissa Guevara
Krissa, MA student in SLS, is completing her final year of graduate school. She graduated from the University of Hawaii in Hilo with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, a double minor in English and linguistics, and certifications in TESOL and Filipino. She was an intern and tutor for ELI at UH Hilo. She also worked at HELP (Hawaii English Language Program), NICE (New Intensive Courses in English), and OLA (Online Learning Academy) at UH Manoa. If she is not studying nor teaching, she spends her free time taking photographs or learning new languages.
Jia Kang
Jia is a PhD student in the Department of Second Language Studies. She is keen to help ESL students develop their academic writing abilities in English. Jia walks and reads in her free time, and loves dogs.
Alexandra Lee
Alexandra Lee is currently an MA student in the Department of Second Language Studies. She has been a teacher for almost a decade, and one of her favorite aspects of teaching is the mutual learning that occurs as the teacher and students share their ideas.
Anne McCarrey
Anne is from the North Shore of Oʻahu and is in her first year of an MA program in the Second Language Studies department. She graduated from Brigham Young University–Hawaiʻi with a BA in Cultural Anthropology and minors in Japanese, Hawaiian Studies, Linguistics, History, and TESOL. Anne is currently teaching ESL 100, but when she’s not in the classroom you can find her surfing, snorkeling, or sea glass hunting. She speaks Japanese, Pidgin, and a little Hawaiian and Spanish.
Amie Pedroza
Amie is an MA student in Second Language Studies. She has her BA in English and Christian Ministries with a minor in Spanish from Dallas Baptist University. She has been teaching ESOL since 2005. Amie loves learning about different languages and cultures. She speaks Spanish and Korean. When she’s not at school she is usually spending time with her husband and her adorable tuxedo cat, Ruby.
Baorui Xu
Baorui is a first year PhD student in the Second Language Studies department. He completed his BA and MA in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages in China. He is currently teaching Intermediate Academic English Reading (ELI 72). Baorui loves cooking and going hiking during his leisure time. He is also passionate about cultures and arts, so he enjoys visiting museums and historical sites when he travels to new places.
Melissa Onaga
Melissa is a MA student in the Department of Second Language Studies. She graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a Bachelor of Arts in International Business and a minor in Japanese. Prior to studying at UH, she taught English in Japan for 11 years. She enjoys traveling and learning about other cultures through food. In her free time, you can find her bodyboarding, running, or doing DIY projects. She is currently teaching ELI 82.
Priscilla Faucette
Priscilla, Assistant Faculty Specialist, has been involved in international education as a student or educator for more than 30 years. She holds an MA in ESL and a Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution, both from UH Mānoa. Priscilla currently serves as the Director of the English Language Institute (ELI) and as Acting Advisor in the SLS Undergraduate Program. She has taught most ELI classes, as well as the SLS Capstone course (SLS 485) and the SLS Practicum course (SLS 475).
Priscilla specializes in teaching advanced-level English for very specific purposes. She has taught customized English language courses to Executive MBA students in Vietnam, Architecture doctoral students in China, international scientists and real-estate professionals in Hawaiʻi, and delivered face-to-face and online teacher-training courses for English teachers from Korea.
Jason Victor, ELI Academic Support
Jason Victor, a graduate of UH Manoa’s English Department’s MA program, has worked as an online copywriter, a freelance editor, and a research communications specialist. He joined the SLS department as an academic support after taking the CELTA course with HELP. In his free time, Jason likes hiking, reading, and spending time with his dog, Honey.