Program Staff

Yuna Seong is the Director of the Community Language Program and TESOL Certificate Program at Teachers College. She has an MA in Second Language Studies from University of Hawai’i at Manoa with concentration on LAMPE (Language Assessment, Measurement, and Program Evaluation) and is currently a  doctoral candidate in Applied Linguistics at Teachers College, Columbia University with specialization in second language assessment. Since 2000, she has been involved in L2 assessment development, curriculum design, teacher training, and ESL/EFL teaching at all levels.  Prior to her director position, she worked as Clinical Assistant Professor and assessment coordinator at the English Language Institute, New York University for 13 years. Her research interests include teaching and assessing second language speaking ability, scenario-based assessment, and metacognitive and cognitive processes in second language test performance. She is also an SAT/PSAT fairness reviewer for College Board.

Allie Hope King is a doctoral candidate in Applied Linguistics at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has an Ed.M. in Applied Linguistics from TC, an M.Ed. in Foreign Language Education and TESOL from the University of Pittsburgh, and a bachelor’s in Modern Languages from Carnegie Mellon University. Her research focuses on classroom discourse, specifically what co-teacher interaction looks like through a conversation analytic lens. Prior to returning to New York for her current academic endeavors, she taught ESL in a number of contexts and locations around the U.S. While at TC, she has taught several courses in the Community Language Program, and has been a mentor and instructor for the TESOL Certificate Program.

Gabriella "Gabi" Ferraris is the Program Associate for the Community Language Program at Teachers College. She has a BA in International Relations, focusing on Environmental Policy, with a minor in Mandarin Chinese, and extensive experience working for environmental NGOs and international organizations. After she finished her BA, she spent two years with the Peace Corps in Western China teaching English at the university level, gaining experience teaching in both classrooms and one-on-one settings. She was also a tutor for the CIFLTE program at Teachers College, teaching French one-on-one. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Sustainability Management at Columbia University.