Important Registration, Payment and Financial Aid Updates. Learn more

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. Your email will be directed to the correct person.

Joyce Wisniewski

Joyce Wisniewski

ESL Department Co-Chair, 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."

Marjorie Allen

Marjorie Allen

Bilingual & ESL Endorsements and TESOL Certificate Coordinator, Professor
B.A., Spanish, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
M.A., Linguistics, American University, Washington, D.C.

Lin Cui

Lin Cui

ESL Department Co-Chair, 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."

Kelly Coronado

Kelly Coronado

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

 

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

 

Kathleen Reynolds

Kathleen Reynolds

Associate 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."

 

Alina Pajtek

Alina Pajtek

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."

 

Kathy Zuo

 Kathy J. Zuo

 Associate Professor
 B.A., International Studies, Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, IL
 M.A., Applied Linguistics, University of Illinois at Chicago,         Chicago, IL

 

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."

 

Eric Bohman

Eric Bohman

Liberal Arts Placement and Testing Manager
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, IL

Sarah Mikulski

Kim Franco

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

Sarah Mikulski

KC Burkholder 

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

 

  • Irma Baack
  • Eric Bohman
  • Mary Cerutti
  • Ariana Euells
  • Allison Hahn
  • Sarah Hunter
  • Cathy Kim
  • Cory Long
  • Mary Elizabeth Moore
  • Sarah Mikulski
  • Svitlana Podkopayeva
  • Mila Stoicheva
  • Bonnie Terchin
  • Darice Trout
Last Updated: 1/18/24