Wheaton College TESOL & Intercultural Studies

10/05/2026

10/01/2026

Sarah now holds the top adult education office in the State of Illinois!

Congratulations to Sarah Taylor (MA TESOL, 2011) for her promotion to the position of Senior Director of Adult Education & Family Literacy (AEFL) / Illinois State Director of AEFL at Illinois Community College Board.

Sarah writes: “Adult education is one of the most powerful tools we have for strengthening families, expanding economic mobility, and building thriving communities. As Illinois State Director of Adult Education & Family Literacy and Senior Director of AEFL at the ICCB, I help advance statewide strategies that connect adult learners to literacy, language acquisition, workforce training, postsecondary education, and family-sustaining careers… Ultimately, I believe that when adults gain the skills, confidence, and opportunities to thrive, the benefits extend far beyond the individual to strengthen families, communities, and future generations.”

09/21/2026

TESOL Fall Event: Islam & Assumptions. On Friday evening, 80 students, faculty, and community members gathered for a lively and informative presentation by Dr. Bill Merrifield, an expert on Middle Eastern Studies. The evening included dinner, serious discussion, and opportunities for cross-cultural engagement through agency partners such as World Relief

09/17/2026

Alumni highlight: Rachael Tsaneva, MA TESOL & Intercultural Studies, 2021

Rachael serves in a key position as the ESL Support Specialist with the Presbyterian Church in America. She is the author of Neighbor to Neighbor: Uniting through English, a six-level ESL textbook series (and currently working on a seventh-level textbook!) created for church-based ESL ministries in the United States working with refugees and immigrants.

She is also a second language acquisition course instructor with the Institute for Cross-Cultural Training at Wheaton College, training cross-cultural workers to be effective and efficient language learners. Her heart is to help people use language and cultural acquisition skills to reach their neighbors (whether they be across the street or on the other side of the world) in friendship.

If you are interested in learning more about the Neighbor to Neighbor series, please follow this link: https://www.pcamna.org/esl-n2n

09/11/2026

08/27/2026

New Grad Student orientation took place on Monday. President Ryken welcomed the entire group totalling 300 new grad students in all disciplines. TESOL had our own orientation with a live and an online session. Later TESOL participated in the Academic Fair which gave opportunities to share our program with incoming undergrads.

08/20/2026

11 students were on Wheaton Campus from Aug 10-14th for an intensive late summer course taught by Dr. Pam Barger. “Theological Perspectives on Language and Education” challenged students to think theologically about content, curriculum and various contexts for learning.

08/10/2026

A few scenes from Wheaton's TEFL Certificate program on the campus of Colorado State University back in July. This training program (now in its 22nd year) prepares teachers to work cross-culturally in a number of countries through rigorous, graduate-level courses. As an administrator, Dr. Alan Seaman was impressed with the quality of this year's instructors -- all long-term teachers based overseas with in-depth knowledge of their cultural contexts.

07/30/2026

TESOL M.A. alumna Savanna Fox has been selected by the U.S. Department of State for a 10-month fellowship project training teachers and teaching English in China at Shandong Normal University. Savannah brings years of university-level ESL/EFL teaching experience, including roles with the University of Illinois Chicago's Intensive English Program, DePaul University, and the College of DuPage. She previously lived and taught in Qingdao and Harbin, China. That experience continues to shape a teaching philosophy centered on student-centered, hospitality-oriented classrooms and genuine cultural exchange.

As an English Language Fellow in Jinan, Savannah will teach oral English, pronunciation, reading, writing, and TESOL methodology to university English majors, and will lead teacher training seminars for local educators. Congratulations, Savannah!!