Steve Lobo

UCL Director of Studie

Hi! Nice to meet you! At UCL,
I currently teach TESOL and Business English. I have been teaching
for a total of 9 years in both Canada and Korea and four years at UCL.
I graduated from SFU with a Degree in Political Science and completed
my TESOL Canada Diploma soon after.
I am currently in the process of completing my Masters Degreein
Distance Education. I believe in giving all my students the personalattention they need to succeed in English.
This means kindly correcting all their mistakes and providing a fun and
friendly atmosphere.I believe listening is the most important skill to
master in learning English. Listening for intonation, stress and new
vocabulary is the key to becoming a fluent English speaker.
I grew up in Vancouver and enjoy snowboarding,camping, inline skating
and bowling.  

Teaching at UCL:  Business English and TESOL
Teaching experience 9 years
Major: Political Science with a minor in History and Sociology.
 

Andrew Claxton

Hi everybody!  I am one of the Cambridge FCE teachers here at UCL.  I was born and raised in the Fraser Valley, near Vancouver.  I attended Simon Fraser University where I earned a degree in History.  So that means I know pretty much everything.  After that I worked for the government for a time, but I soon came to realize that teaching English was much more fun and fulfilling.  So I changed jobs.  I have been teaching at UCL for almost a year now and I love the friendly atmosphere of the school.  I also love Vancouver and I enjoy learning all the little historical stories that Vancouver has hidden in its street.  Aside from history my hobbies are camping, cooking, and that greatest of Canadian sports, curling.

Guess how old I am!

Teaching at UCL: Cambridge FCE and ESL
Major: History
Teaching Experience: 6 years

Elmira Mafi

I graduated from UBC with a major in English Literature. During my years at UBC I volunteered in the downtown eastside and taught English to new immigrants; as a result I received various awards for teaching and volunteering. Through this experience I discovered my passion for teaching adults and working with different cultures. After UBC I studied at Vancouver Community College and completed their 10 month TESOL program. At UCL I teach ESL, specializing in all levels, and the TESOL program. I believe learning English should be fun; therefore, I provide an interactive and communicative environment for my students which integrates all their skills. I am a city girl and in my spare time I enjoy shopping, spending time with friends, reading, writing and exercising.

Teaching at UCL: ESL and TESOL
Education: Bachelor of Arts, English Literature Major - UBC
                TESOL Diploma- Vancouver Community College
Job Experience: 6 years (Teaching/ Tutoring)

Giles Reyno

Hi, my name is Giles. I grew up and live in Vancouver and have a passion for life. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Simon Fraser University. I am creative, free-thinking, enthusiastic, disciplined, imaginative, passionate, and down to earth.
    Part of my teaching reflects my love of new media, music, pop culture studies and entertainment, and journalism. I try my best to bring that aspect of English learning into my teaching. I also believe in creating a balance of discipline and enjoyment in the classroom. I feel building relationships with students and teachers is integral to the learning experience.

Teaching at UCL:  Advanced Grammar and Listening
                             Cambridge Course\
Education:  BA Communications SFU, BSW Social Work UBC
Experience: 6 years at UCL

Harini Nallapothola

  My area of specialty is 100% oral and written correction. Welcome to UCL! I have just completed my B.A. in Political Science. I have taught ESL for three years. I mostly specialize in writing at the intermediate level. I challenge my students to write longer and stronger paragraphs and basic essay writing skills.

Teaching at UCL:  ESL
Teaching experience: 4 years
Major: Political Science

Irene Sattarzadeh

Hello! I was raised in North Vancouver and have traveled to many countries around the world. I have taught TEYC and ESL classes at UCL for over a year now and I love my job! I love learning about new cultures and making new friends from different parts of the world.
I have a double major in Political Science and Spanish from UBC. I think that language is a very important part of every culture and I push my students to study hard and practice in order to learn English well.

Teaching at UCL:  TEYC, ESL
Teaching experience 7 years
Major: English Literature

 

James Arcilla

My focus is Special listening, writing and conducting fun, engaging activities for the students. I am fully committed in sharing different experiences using English as our bridge to understanding. When using language to create a deep awareness of the world around us, I believe we open doors for ourselves that allow for joy, relationships and new knowledge. I have a BA in History from SFU and worked for a range of companies in Vancouver. Usually, you'll find me cooking, having a beer and attempting to learn photography.

Teaching at UCL: Special Listening, Writing and Grammar
Teaching experience: almost 2 year
Major: History with Political Science     
 

Juanito (Jay)
Francisco Vergara  






 

I have taught ESL for over three years in Canada and in Japan.  In Japan I worked and lived in Nishi and Higashi Maizuru, Fukuchiyama and briefly at Amonohashidate as a Conversational, Children's, TOEIC and TOEFL teacher.   In Canada, I have taught at various schools as a Grammar, Listening, Pronunciation and Conversational teacher.  I have an International TESOL license and am qualified and certified to teach in many countries.  I am a life long learner and I believe that learning (especially language learning) is a continuous, lifelong journey.  I am going back to University to complete my English Degree after a brief stint to teach and travel in Japan.  I have a good sense of humor and enjoy provocative jokes! I regularly pretend to be a student in my classes and introduce myself as an Asian Peter Pan so I advise you to be careful! On the weekends you can find me biking on the seawall, mingling with my students at Karaoke, or perfecting my Japanese at the Library In my classes I am loud and have lots of energy, so be prepared to be challenged!

Teaching at UCL: Grammar,Listening,Intensive
Teaching Experience: 5 Years
Major: English

KP Wee

Welcome to Vancouver!  I was born in Singapore but have been living here
since 1990.  I graduated from UBC with a Commerce degree and starting teaching ESL soon after.  I enjoy teaching and I have taught not only ESL, but also Business English and TESOL here at UCL.  I have taught at a couple other schools in Vancouver as well, and have experience developing curricula including intensive listening, career planning, business, and grammar.  When I am not teaching, I enjoy watching, reading, and talking about sports.  Come and talk to me about sports (or English) if you see me in the hallway!

Teaching at UCL:Business English, TESOL, ESL
Teaching experience: 6 years
Major: Commerce

Laura Devlin

I love teaching at UCL because it is like Vancouver; full of different cultures, ethnicities and exciting new people! I believe that learning and teaching a new language is an interactive experience that should be challenging and rewarding but most of all lots of fun! Having both experience with children and teaching ESL, TEYC is perfect me because it allows me to sing, read stories, and laugh with my students everyday. My outside interests include traveling (Europe, The Middle East, and all over Canada), hiking, reading, and enjoying all of the great activities Vancouver has to offer.

Teaching at UCL:TEYC
Experience: 6 years
Degree: BA in Psychology

Suzan Altintas









 

 My passion for teaching started at the age of ten, after realizing cashiers couldn't keep all of the money in the till. I was inspired to become a teacher by other teachers in my family, as well as my love of helping others. I started tutoring ESL & French when I was fifteen years old, after teachers asked me to help my classmates. I have won language awards in both Spanish and French. My adoration of language led me to complete a Bachelor's degree with a major in French at U.B.C. The following year, I graduated from UBC with a Bachelor's degree in Education, specializing in ESL and FSL. As well as teaching TESOL and TEYC, I am currently finishing my Master's degree at S.F.U. in French Curriculum Studies. I am a member of the British Columbia Teachers Federation (BCTF). I have experience teaching elementary school, high school, and adult students. In addition to my teaching duties, I also coordinate fun weekly Friday activities. In my spare time, I enjoy dancing, playing the violin, and making jewelry.

Teaching at UCL: TESOL & TEYC
Teaching Experience: 6 years plus tutoring experience
Degrees: 1.Bachelor of Arts, Major in French (UBC)
              2.Bachelor of Education, Teaching subjects: French & ESL (UBC)
              3.Master of Arts, Specializing in French Curriculum Studies (SFU)