Olessya Akimenko is a PhD Candidate and an instructor in the Faculty of Education at SFU. She is currently conducting research for her thesis related to the identity negotiations of teachers of English as an additional language (EAL), supported by the SSHRC CGS Doctoral Scholarship. Her other research and educational interests include dialogic pedagogy and the pedagogy of multiliteracies. Before embarking on her doctoral journey, Olessya worked as an EAL/ESL and EAP teacher for more than 10 years.