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 speak English as an additional language. 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.
Ayoung Chung
Ayoung is a first-year PhD student in the Department of Second Language Studies. She has always enjoyed learning languages and studied English, French, and Chinese during her school years. Building on this passion, she became an English teacher, and taught at a public high school in South Korea for six years. As both a language learner and a teacher, she is interested in how people acquire and process non-native languages, and she explores these questions through psycholinguistic research. Outside of her studies, she enjoys exploring nature and experiencing new cultures—something she is especially excited to do in Hawai‘i.
Robert Cunningham
Rob is currently a PhD student and completed his MA in SLS at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa in 2016. He has taught in Hawai‘i, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Japan and is interested in language teacher education. In his free time, he makes music for short films.
Lucas Edmond
Lucas is currently a PhD student in the Department of Second Language Studies focusing on sociolinguistics and language education. He has been teaching English and academic writing since 2014 in various contexts, from a middle school in South India to a university in Japan. In his free time, he likes to cook, go hiking, and play games with friends.
Matthew Kakimi
Matthew is a second-year MA student at the Second Language Studies department at UH Mānoa. Previously in Japan, he was a director for dramatic productions such as plays and musicals, performed by Japanese students and taught English to students in academic settings. He is interested not only in how he can help students improve their English but also in exploring unconventional learning methods that may better suit his learners on a personal level beyond the academic context. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games and listening to music such as power metal, musicals, and J-pop.
Samantha Keller
Sam is a first year MA student in the Second Language Studies program. She holds a dual bachelors degree from UH Mānoa in Second Language Studies and French Studies. She studied abroad in France during both high school and university, which strengthened her interest in cross-cultural connections and teaching. During her undergraduate study, she was a teacher in Thailand where she taught English for Effective Presentation! Her interest is in sociolinguistics, Global Englishes, and Place-Based-Learning. In her free time she enjoys being outside and working with the community.
Seungeun Lee
Seungeun is a second-year PhD student in the Department of Second Language Studies at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. She began teaching English in South Korea to students with different levels, from elementary school students to adult learners. Seungeun has also engaged in ESL teaching in higher education settings, assisting international students in undergraduate courses which aimed to improve their English speaking skills. In addition to her teaching experience, her intellectual interests revolve around second language acquisition, World Englishes, and task-based language teaching/assessment. Beyond academics, she enjoys watching Korean reality television series and walking while listening to music.
Yessie Lee
Yessie is an MA student in the Second Language Studies department at UH Mānoa. Originally from Korea, she has extensive experience tutoring English to Korean students and teaching Korean to English speakers and heritage learners in classroom settings. She is passionate about fostering cross-cultural connections through language education and is excited to support your journey in the program. In her free time, Yessie enjoys playing thought-provoking games like The Liar Game and Would You Rather, as well as spending time exploring new ways to connect with others through fun and creativity.
Adékúnmi Ọlátúnjí
Kúnmi is a PhD student in the Department of Second Language Studies. Her research interests include critical language pedagogy, critical literacy, and the role of emotions in language teaching. Kúnmi started teaching English in 2012 and has experience in Spain, China, the UK, Japan, and Iraq. A lifelong language learner, she is alway eager to pick up phrases in the local language wherever she goes, and is excited to learn Hawaiian. When Kúnmi isn’t wedged between a book, she’s probably enjoying a long walk, learning to swim, trying her hand at new arts and crafts, or baking bread!
Shannon Pederson
Shannon is a first year MA student in the Second Language Studies program. She began learning Korean 10 years ago and lived in Korea for a year in high school; this inspired her to continue learning Korean by earning dual BA degrees in Second Language Studies and Korean Flagship at UH Mānoa, which allowed her to develop professional fluency in Korean while studying and working at Korea University in 2023-24. She is especially interested in English and Korean phonology, English literature and communications, and Project-Based Language Learning. She also loves to spend her time playing guitar and knitting!
Michael Rivera
Michael Rivera is an MA student with an interest in sociolinguistics, multilingual education, and language revitalization in the Philippines. He began teaching English in 2018 and has lived in the US, Taiwan, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire. With experience working with learners from nearly all ages and levels, he holds a Cambridge Delta with a specialism in Business English, as well as a Trinity TYLEC (Teaching Young Learners Extension Certificate). He has backpacked in over 40 countries and enjoys writing and blogging, learning new languages, and making and performing music.
Gabriella Sosnowski
Gabbie is a second-year MA student in the Second Language Studies department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She began teaching English as an Assistant de Langue in France. Subsequently, she spent four years as a conversation and listening instructor at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Gabbie also has over 10 years of experience in private tutoring, assisting students with speaking skills and vocabulary building. Beyond academics, her interests include languages, cooking, and drawing.
Annabelle Walters
Annabelle is a second-year MA student in the Second Language Studies department at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. She has called Hawai’i home for the past seven years. Originally from Florida, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Florida and has always been passionate about teaching and mentorship. In 2018, she pursued her TEFL certificate, which led her to teach English as a Second Language at a Hawai’i non-profit for four years. She has worked with learners ranging from young children to adults, representing over 30 countries and 24 languages, which has given her insight into a wide variety of cultural and linguistic experiences. Her research interests include Global Englishes and language access. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, hiking, beach walks, and cooking vegetarian dishes.
Priscilla Faucette
ELI Director
Priscilla, 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. She currently serves as the Director of the English Language Institute (ELI) and also occasionally teaches courses in the SLS undergraduate program, such 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.
Daniel Holden
Assistant Director
Daniel Holden is recent a Ph.D. graduate of the Dept of SLS at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and has been a second language instructor for the past 15 years. He has previously taught a variety of classes in the ELI, and made the transition into the role of second language program administration.
His main research interests are critical language pedagogy, critical administration, second language teaching and learning, and language assessment.