Meet Our Team!

INSTRUCTORS  

Sarah Zakraoui - Instructor
Sarah showed an interest in teaching since she was a teenage girl. Growing up bilingual, she used to teach French to her grandmother for fun. Little did she know that she’d follow that career path. Sarah is a proud alumna of SFSU, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business. While working with a diverse population in the Bay Area, Sarah has developed an interest in cultural awareness and foreign languages. Her experience in the tourism industry inspired her to shape new professional goals and to pursue the Master's program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at SF State. While in grad school, Sarah designed a vocational English course and a career-readiness program for the immigrant population of Oakland, California. When she is not teaching, cooking, or hiking, Sarah enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.

Nicole Quinones - Instructor
Nicole earned a bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University. After working in various educational settings, Nicole got a job in South Korea and discovered a passion for teaching English while working there for two years. She came back to the States and got her MA in TESOL from The New School in New York. Since then, she has dedicated her career to English language education, spending about eight years teaching in the New York/New Jersey area in for-profit language schools and then the community college districts in the South Bronx and Jersey City. She is happy to be back in SoCal, currently teaching with IEC and Irvine Valley College. When she's not working Nicole loves going to the beach, traveling, and spending time with loved ones.

Sarah Pratt - Instructor
After graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a BA in Ethnic Studies and a minor in Japanese, Sarah began her teaching career in 2014. She has taught ages two to eighty-five while teaching in a variety of academic settings in three different countries. She taught English in Japan for six years and earned her MA from Arizona State and did a teaching internship at the Shonan Institute of Technology. After meeting her husband in the seaside of Kanagawa, Sarah then moved to his home country of Belgium to teach for four years. She returned to Orange County in the spring of 2024 to be closer to her family and has been enjoying teaching at IEC ever since! In her free time, Sarah can be found walking her dog, doing yoga and spending time at the beach.

Theresa Jung - Instructor
Theresa began her academic journey in business, but her time in South Korea sparked a deep passion for teaching English. Inspired by this experience, she pursued a Master’s degree in teaching English and has since dedicated herself to supporting ESL learners. With a diverse teaching background, Theresa has worked with students of all ages and backgrounds, including kindergarteners, college students, Korean public school teachers, company employees, migrant workers, and immigrants. She draws inspiration from her favorite middle and high school ESL teacher, Mrs. Wall, and strives to be an unforgettable and influential teacher for her students.

ADMISSIONS/STUDENT SERVICES AND RECEPTION

Noriko Gotschall - International Student Counselor
Noriko is an OCC International Counselor. She helps OCC international students achieve their educational goals by making sure they understand degree and university transfer requirements and helping them choose classes. Noriko came to the US on an F-1 visa after graduating from high school in Japan. She first attended an intensive language program before going to college. She has a BA in International Relations from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MS in Counseling from California State University, Long Beach.

Thu Nguyen - Student Advisor
Thu graduated from Orange Coast College and will finish her BA in Management this Fall 2017. She grew up in Saigon, Vietnam, and came to the U.S. after graduating high school. Thu would like to pursue a Master's Degree in Counseling and work as an International Student Advisor. She enjoys traveling, shopping, dancing, and cooking. In her free time, she travels and dances Zumba.

Stephanie Phonsiri - Staff Aide
I received my BA from Vanguard University in Organizational Management and my MBA from Redlands University. I worked at Coast Community College District since 1990 and at Orange Coast College since 2006. I love working with and meeting students from all over the world. I can speak four languages: Vietnamese, Laotian, Thai, and English. When I'm not at work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and two children. I enjoy outdoor activities and love running. 

Greg Buie - Program Facilitator
Greg serves as the Program Facilitator for the Global Engagement Center supporting international students during their time studying at IEC@OCC. He brings to his role over 20 years of experience working in the nonprofit international development sector on providing health and education services to vulnerable populations. Greg holds a BA in Political Science: International Relations from the University of California, San Diego, and an MA in International Studies & Diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He is passionate about travel, learning languages, living a plant-based lifestyle, and spending time with his 2 children. 

Vivian Nguyen - Student Services Specialist
Vivian graduated from Orange Coast College and will finish her BA in Child Development and Family Studies this Spring 2025 at Cal State Uni. Long Beach. She was an intern at IEC, then a student assistant at the Global Engagement Center, and now is a student services specialist for GEC/IEC. Vivian is in charge of the social media platforms (Instagram & TikTok) for IEC and loves to film dances and trends with students and team members in the office. She grew up in Orange County and enjoys drinking matcha, going to new cafes, and is a big K-pop fan. 

MARKETING/RECRUITMENT

Naoki Hirota - Marketing Director
Naoki came to the US as an international student and majored in International Relations at the University of Kentucky, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1997. He has been with IEC since its opening in 2000. He travels internationally throughout the year, meeting partner institutions and prospective students around the world. In his spare time, he enjoys playing the drums (a pair of drumsticks are his icon!). If you see an IEC employee doing a presentation at a fair/exhibition, it will likely be Naoki.

Kristoffer Toribio - Assistant Director of International Admissions and Recruitment
Kristoffer is the Assistant Director for the Global Engagement Center and is responsible for driving the admissions and recruitment of international students. Kristoffer was born and raised on the island of Kaua'i and is a proud graduate of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. He has worked in international undergraduate admissions for nearly 9 years and has traveled to nearly 40 countries. In his spare time, he enjoys the beach, staying active, traveling, learning about different cultures, and playing with his corgi, Koji. His hidden talent is memorizing nearly every world capital and national flag. 

ADMINISTRATION

Shane Liliedahl - Director, IEC@OCC
Shane is the Director of the International Education Center. He taught English in Japan, and has even worked with Japanese singers from the boy band “King and Prince”. Shane grew up in Los Angeles and has his Master’s in Teaching Speakers of Other Languages from the University of Southern California. He loves to sing, study Japanese, and his loud voice can often be heard singing from the classrooms next door.

Nathan Jensen - Associate Dean, Global Engagement
As Associate Dean, Nathan is responsible for oversight of the Global Engagement Center which includes services for international students, study abroad programs and services, the Multicultural Center, and IEC@OCC intensive English program. Nathan has worked in international higher education for nearly 15 years. Nathan likes to explore the world with his wife, attend church, play music, and go to art museums. Nathan has a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in music from CSU Long Beach.

Joshua Kurzweil - Curriculum Coordinator
Josh began his teaching career in 1990. He has taught and trained in Japan, Spain, the Republic of Georgia, and the United States. He received his Master's degree in teaching from the SIT Graduate Institute and also holds the Cambridge CELTA and DELTA. Josh has been a trainer with the Peace Corps and has designed teacher development programs for labor unions and higher ed. He is the author of Understanding Teaching Through Learning, which was published by McGraw-Hill in 2006. His particular areas of interest include the Science of Learning, reflective practice, and learning design. In his free time, you can usually find Josh playing pool, studying foreign languages, or traveling.