Meet our Faculty

Meg Foster is a native of Massachusetts. She studied in both the USA and England for her undergraduate degree and earned her master’s degree at Boston College. Meg has a wide range of teaching experience in ESL. She also brings a real-life business perspective to her teaching because she is a licensed commercial real estate broker who has worked with several prestigious firms in the USA.

Andrea Vij was a music teacher before she became an English teacher. She earned Bachelor’s Degrees in Voice Performance and Music Education from Drake University and a Master’s Degree in Choral Music from the University of Illinois. After teaching and advising international students at New England Conservatory in Boston, she decided to earn a certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language. Andrea taught English at The Boston Language Institute and Pine Manor College before joining the Intensive English Program at Framingham State University.

Neil Brady has a Master’s degree in Communications as well as Certification in TEFL and an Educator's Certificate in English from the MA Dept. of Education. He has taught at Framingham State University since 2014.  He has been teaching at a number of private English Language schools in the Boston area since 2009, including English for international business.

Olivia Rys is an English instructor for the Intensive and Community English Programs. She was born and raised in Walpole, Massachusetts but now lives in Plainville, Massachusetts with her husband.  Olivia received her Bachelor's Degree in History and Foreign Languages at Roger Williams University and later received her Master's Degree in Applied Linguistics at University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Laurie Christie is an instructor for the English Language Programs at Framingham State University.  She was educated at New England College, and Bridgewater State University.  She has been teaching ESL for 10 years and loves it.  Laurie lives in Natick.

Grace Quigua was born and raised in Boston and now lives in Sudbury. She retired from the Boston Public Schools in June 2010.   For more than thirty years Grace taught at risk youth at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School.  She graduated from Emmanuel College and has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in German language and literature.  She also has a Master Degree in Bilingual and Special Education from Regis College. 

Sara Khanzadi holds a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Minnesota. Before teaching at The English Language Programs at FSU, she taught English at Massachusetts International Academy (MAIA), Georgia Tech Language Institute and at the Minnesota English Language Program (MELP) for more than nine years. Sara received her undergraduate degree in Spanish language and culture and worked as a simultaneous translator at the commercial office of Spain's embassy in Iran for 5 years.

Laura Larsen-Stevovich has been teaching ESL students for 17 years. She has enjoyed teaching in Thailand and Korea. Laura holds Master’s degrees in TESL from Framingham State University and in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of South Florida. Laura has presented numerous talks, appeared on public television, and offered workshops on pronunciation for both students and teachers. 

Ani Gjika holds an MA in English Literature from Simmons College, an MFA in Creative Writing from Boston University, and a TEFL Certification from Boston Language Institute.  She was born and raised in Albania and has taught native speakers and ESL students for more than 15 years at Boston University, Rutgers University, Kean University, Massachusetts International Academy in the U.S., and at Asia Pacific International University in Thailand.  Her background in studying foreign languages and teaching in multi-cultural settings help her to relate to her international students at a more personal level.  She is also a published writer and translator.

Alan Finkel has traveled many times to Europe, Central America, and French Canada, soaking up the cultures, trying the local languages, and experiencing what it’s like to struggle to communicate. That’s why he loves teaching English as a Second Language at Framingham State. He also teaches Professional Writing (online) at FSU and is a certified teacher in Massachusetts in both History and English. 

Karen Hunter has been teaching ESL for the FSU English Language Program since May, 2015. She holds a Masters of Education Degree for the Teaching of English as a Second Language from Framingham State College/University. She is a returning teacher who previously taught ESL for the Framingham State College Adult Community ESL Program while a graduate student. She also holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Massachusetts at Boston where she majored in German.

Susan Klein became an ESL teacher in 2009 after a 25-year career in journalism and investor relations. Before teaching at Framingham State, Susan lived in France for three years and taught English at top universities for science, aerospace and architecture. Susan has traveled extensively in Europe, Africa and Asia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in journalism, both from the University of California, Berkeley.

Over the past 14 years, Peter Wilner, has taught a number of different subjects (including English and English as a Second Language) in public and private schools, nonprofit organizations, and independent language schools.  He also does substantial work with immigrant populations in the Metrowest and specializes in helping new residents to understand and navigate new environments.  Mr. Wilner has lived in Spain, traveled in South America, and speaks Spanish and Portuguese.

Alex K. Oliveira earned his MA in English as a Second Language Teaching from the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he was also a Graduate Assistant and Coordinator of Professional Training Programs in the Division of Continuing Education. He has had an extensive career in Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), as a teacher, as a program administrator, and as a materials and curriculum developer. For over 25 years, he has worked with adult learners of diverse backgrounds, both in the US and in Brazil, in settings ranging from workplace programs and community colleges to private language institutes and universities, both public and private

Jaana Thorarensen has a Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She has always had a passion for learning and teaching languages. She grew up in Sweden to Finnish parents and later moved to Iceland and is fluent in Swedish, Finnish, and Icelandic. Jaana has experience working and teaching in K-12 public schools as well as in higher education, both in the United States as well as in Sweden.

 In her spare time, Jaana enjoys traveling, reading, skiing, exercising, and baking. She also loves taking long hikes in the woods with her two dogs.