Harper College

ESL: Faculty and Staff

Work with world-class ESL faculty and staff.

To contact any member of the faculty or staff for information, please email esl@harpercollege.edu (new email window). Your email will be directed to the correct person.

Lin Cui

Kelly Coronado

ESL Department Co-Chair, Professor

B.A., Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
M.A., Linguistics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago,IL

Marjorie Allen

Marjorie Allen

ESL Department Co-Chair, Professor
B.A., Spanish, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
M.A., Linguistics, American University, Washington, D.C.

Alina Pajtek

Alina Pajtek

Bilingual & ESL Endorsements and TESOL Certificate Coordinator, Professor
B.A., English and French Language, Literature, and Methodology, West University of Timisoara, Romania
M.A., TESOL, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Ph.D., Applied Linguistics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

"I think education is a process that entails enthusiasm and rigor and that should foster learner autonomy and critical thinking. I view teachers as resources rather than as the only sources of information, and students as active participants to the learning process; along the same lines, I believe that learning does not end, but begins in the classroom and continues in all the social contexts in which students participate."

Kelly Coronado

Lin Cui

Professor

B.A., Economics, Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, Shanghai, China
M.A., English: Language and Professional Writing, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
B.Ed., Faculty of Education, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

"I firmly believe that education is a lifelong endeavor and that teaching is a privilege to inspire my students on and through this journey, one step at a time. It has been one of my greatest pleasures to empower my students with better English skills so they are able to reach their academic, professional, and personal goals."

Mary Gawienowski

Mary F. Gawienowski

Professor
B.A., Comparative Literature, Spanish minor,
University of Massachusetts at Amherst, MA
M.A., English and TESOL, California State University at Sacramento, CA
Ph.D., English: Rhetoric and Linguistics, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA

Kimberly Jaeger

Kimberly Jaeger

Professor
B.S.L.A. in German, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
M.A. in German, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
Graduate Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL

"Teaching language and culture is my passion! I like to watch students gain skills that give them new opportunities and encourage them to be global citizens. I believe that language classes should be fun, useful, and interactive. In my classes, students can expect to be supported to do their best work and challenged to try new things with language."

Kathleen Reynolds

Kathleen Reynolds

Professor
B.A. Spanish and Political Science, College of Wooster, Wooster, OH
M.A. Applied Linguistics / TESOL, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL

"Harper College is a great place to learn English, and a great place to teach. I love helping students to master English and reach their goals."

Joyce Wisniewski

Joyce Wisniewski

Associate Professor
A.A., William Rainey Harper College, Palatine, IL
B.A., English, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
M.A., Intercultural Studies - emphasis in TESOL, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL

"Because I can understand the challenges of living in another country and learning a new language, I am committed to seeing my students succeed not only in their language proficiency, but also in their overall success as they make the United States their home. I have taught a wide-range of courses within the ESL department since 1996, and I have a special interest in English grammar and English for business."

Eric Bohman

Eric Bohman

Liberal Arts Manager - Placement and Secondary Alliances
B.A., Speech Communications, Otterbein College, Westerville, OH
M.A., Adult Education - Developmental Studies, National-Louis University, Chicago, IL
Diploma in Social Science, Stockholm University Graduate School, Stockholm, Sweden
Ed.D., Community College Leadership, National-Louis University, Chicago, IL

Leah Kang

Leah Kang

ESL Student Advisor
A.A., Kyunghee University, Seoul, South Korea
B.S., International Business and French, North Park University, Chicago, IL
M.A., TESL, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL

Sarah Mikulski

Sarah Mikulski

CALL Lab and Resources Coordinator
B.A., English Literature, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
M.A.T. Secondary Education, Language Arts, ESL Endorsement, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago,

Kim Franco

Kim Franco

Administrative Assistant
B.A., English Literature, Dominican University, River Forest, IL

KC Burkholder

KC Burkholder

Language Lab Technician
A.A., William Rainey Harper College, Palatine, IL


  • Ariana Euells
  • Allison Hahn
  • Brian Hampson
  • Cathy Kim
  • Cory Long
  • Eric Bohman 
  • Gina Stevens
  • Hasanbey Ellidokuzoglu
  • Irma Baack
  • Mahazabeen Master
  • Mariana Hernandez Grassi
  • Miriam Mazboudi
  • Mary Cerutti
  • Mary Elizabeth Moore
  • Sarah Hunter
  • Sarah Mikulski
  • Svitlana Podkopayeva
  • Mehvish Saleem
  • Mila Stoicheva
Last Updated: 5/27/26