Instructors

After Alayna received her Bachelor of Education degree, she taught children with special needs. Several years ago she had an epiphany: all of her friends spoke English as a second language and she found their stories about their home countries fascinating. She realized that it was time to change her teaching focus to adult learning – specifically, ESL. As an ESL teacher she mentored TESOL practicum students who inspired her to turn her attention back to a career in teacher training. Alayna has expanded her role at the college in recent years, taking on the position of Co-op Coordinator. She considers herself lucky to be a part of her students’ many academic and professional successes.

Stacy Eum attended Simon Fraser University and graduated with a BA in Linguistics and a<br /> TESOL certificate. After graduation, she went to South Korea and gained extensive experience as an ESL teacher as well as an interpreter/translator for 15 years. She came back to Canada and has been teaching IT-K since 2016, relaying the expertise and skills she accumulated over the years. Always striving for excellence, she never compromises when it comes to quality in<br /> education. She finds herself blessed to be able to help her students get closer to their dreams and success.

Dena van Dalfsen has traveled widely and speaks three languages. Being a student of foreign languages herself, she understands the triumphs and frustrations of language students. Dena graduated from the University of Victoria with an English and Journalism degree and after winning an award for community journalism, became TESOL certified and taught in Korea, Mexico and Argentina. Dena has been a TESOL instructor in Vancouver for over 10 years.

Luc has been teaching business, from high school to post-graduate college level, for close to 20 years. Before entering education, Luc spent over ten years in the world of high finance, functioning as chief interbank foreign exchange dealer for top-graded banks in Europe and Asia. Luc has lived and worked in half a dozen different countries (Belgium, France, Japan, Philippines, Jamaica, and Canada) spread over four different continents. He obtained a BA in Oriental Languages and Culture (Chinese and Japanese) at the University of Ghent (Belgium), a Master’s in Theoretical Economics (International Finance and Trade) from Hitotsubashi University (Tokyo, Japan), and a Master’s in Religious Education from St. Mark’s College (Vancouver). Favorite motto, “Be first, be smarter, or cheat.”