Andrea Ferrer
Adjunct Lecturer
Faculty
B.A. in German Language & Literature, Minor in Mass Communications, University of Florida 2012
M.A. in Comparative Literature, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Germany, 2020
Andrea Ferrer is currently an adjunct lecturer at the FIU English Language Institute, where she teaches English language courses with a focus on conversational and academic skills. Born in Miami, Florida, she has a deep passion for language and literature, which led her to pursue higher education in German Language and Comparative Literature from the prestigious Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn in Germany. Andrea has worked internationally and is proficient in English, Spanish, and German, allowing her to foster cross-cultural understanding in the classroom and create an inclusive and dynamic leaning environment. In addition to her academic work, she is an active book club facilitator, guiding discussions that encourage global literary engagement. Outside of teaching, Andrea enjoys reading, exploring diverse narratives, and writing for her Substack, “Literature Lens,” where she delves into themes of identity and cultural intersections.
Mailing Address
LC 204
Christa Garcia
Adjunct Lecturer
Faculty
English, B.A. (English Literature), FIU
Graduate Certificate, TESOL, FIU
Christa Garcia is an Adjunct Lecturer at the English Language Institute. Born in New York and later moved to Miami, she has grown a love for nature, education, and literature. Obtaining a bachelor’s degree in English at FIU, Christa is now working on her Master of Science in Foreign Language Education. She enjoys traveling, reading, listening to music and, of course, being a part of the wonderful team at the E.L.I.
Mailing Address
LC 203A
Contact
Email: cjgarcia@fiu.edu
Olga Garmash, M.A.
Adjunct Lecturer
Faculty
B.A. Secondary Education
M.A. Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Murmansk State University
M.A. International Affairs, Florida State University
A native of Russia, Olga began as an ESL instructor at Murmansk State University. Prior to joining the faculty of the FSU Center for Intensive English Studies, she worked with several educational programs in public health at the FSU College of Medicine. While teaching academic English at CIES, she was also involved in curriculum development and materials design. She moved to Miami in 2013 and began working at the English Language Institute. She has a particular interest in teaching advanced grammar and academic reading. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling, and photography
Mailing Address
LC 203A
Contact
Email: ogarmash@fiu.edu
Alfredo Henquen
Adjunct Lecturer
Faculty
Licentiate/B.A. Teaching English as a Foreign Language, E.J. Varona Pedagogical University
TESOL/TESL/TEFL Certification, Oxford Seminars
Alfredo joined the English Language Institute in the 2020 Spring semester and has since taught the TOEFL® preparation course and the Advanced Grammar, Reading, and Writing courses in the Intensive English Program at the ELI. With over 30 years of experience, Alfredo has taught all levels of English and all kinds of courses, including General English, exam preparation, teacher training, aviation English and everything in between to students from all over the world. One of the things he enjoys the most about his work is enabling students to become the protagonists of their own learning and watching them progress towards attaining their academic or professional goals. When he is not in the classroom, Alfredo enjoys riding his bicycle, going to the beach, kayaking, or simply relaxing at home.
Mailing Address
LC 203A
Contact
Email: ahenquen@fiu.edu
Laura Lamour
Director, English Language Institute, FIU
Faculty
M.S. Curriculum and Instruction of Modern Languages (with a TESOL tract), FIU
PhD student, Teaching and Learning, FIU
Laura Lamour is originally from the Caribbean Islands, more specifically Guadeloupe, France. At the age of 5, her family moved to Canada, where they lived in Montreal, Quebec and Ottawa, Ontario. After 8 years of the harsh Canadian winter, her family decided to move to Miami, Florida, where the sun is always shining. She has resided here ever since.
She graduated from Florida International University with a bachelor’s and master’s degree. She taught in the public school system for 2 years and then transitioned to the English Language Institute as a graduate student. She has been teaching there since September 2009 and absolutely loves every minute of it. She has helped developed several online programs, one of them being Reading Plus for all the reading levels. ELI students have had great success developing their reading skills as a result.
What she loves most aside from teaching is traveling and discovering new places and cultures. One day, Laura hopes to travel the world and learn about the various cultures and traditions.
Mailing Address
LC 205
Lergia Olivo
Assistant Teaching Professor, Educational Technology Coordinator
Faculty
B.A. English, FIU
M.A. Linguistics, FIU
Graduate Certificate, eLearning, UCF
Ph.D. Candidate, Teaching and Learning, FIU
Lergia is currently the ELI’s Educational Technology Coordinator, with extensive experience in online and hybrid instruction and learning design. She is currently a PhD candidate in FIU’s School of Education and Human Development, where her dissertation research focuses on the intensive English instruction in the online modality. She is also a Faculty Fellow in FIU’s Honors College, where she teaches Introduction to Honors and Leadership as well as Honors Seminar.
Lergia was born and raised in Miami, FL, to parents who emigrated from Cuba in the early 1960s. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and watching sports.
Mailing Address
LC 208
Contact
Email: lolivo@fiu.edu
Peter Tome
Associate Teaching Professor
Faculty
B.A. International Relations
M.S. TESOL, FIU
Peter began his teaching career in 1987 as an assistant d’anglais at a high school in France. After completing his master’s degree, he taught at the Wall Street Institute in Geneva, Switzerland for nearly two years before moving on to TASOK (The American School of Kinshasa) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since his return to the United States in 1995, Peter has taught at Miami-Dade College and at the ELI, where he continues to teach until this day. One of the things Peter enjoys most about his work is meeting students from so many different countries. He is currently involved in writing curriculum for the ELI and is continuously designing or redesigning materials for his courses. When not teaching, he likes to spend time outdoors: hiking, kayaking, or simply enjoying the beauty of God’s creation.
Mailing Address
LC 213
Contact
Email: ptome@fiu.edu