Instructor

Profile
Arun Masand (Digital Media Studies) After traveling the globe six times over, Arun Masand sold his shares in an adventure travel company he founded in Calgary and Toronto and headed out west. His experience as an adventure and expedition leader in the tourism industry has given him a logistical savvy that helps him in the day-to-day running of any team, and as a mountain climber he appreciates any challenge. He is always looking for the latest technology that can help a team be more efficient and productive. He says he will not give up his dream of riding his motorcycle across the Sahara Desert and enjoys sharing travel stories with students, clients and friends.

Arun is an immigrant himself and moved to the west some 30 years ago and later began sharing his tourism and travel experiences with students at a tourism college in Vancouver and Surrey. During this time, Arun Masand also launched his own Business Consulting company and has been consistently helping small and big organizations with their digital development, strategic operations and profitability in a number of fields. As an inveterate believer in education and an active businessperson, he has great passion for sharing his business experience and IT abilities with students from all over the world through informative and interactive lectures and presentations.

Arun is a commerce graduate from the University of Toronto and a Certified Canadian Risk Manager from Simon Fraser University as well as a computer programmer and web developer. His marketing savvy and years of working with corporate entities and fortune 500 companies in the technology and insurance sectors have enabled him to discover the best methods and strategy for gaining the competitive advantage. Arun Masand also served the City of Vancouver as a Police Officer in a former career path and is proud to be a Notary Public in the Province of Saskatchewan and a Commissioner of Oaths in the Province of British Columbia. He is a proud Canadian and encourages any immigration to this wonderful country.

Arun is a people person and develops meaningful connections with his students at Pacific Link College, where he is a contract lecturer on Post Secondary Digital Media and Business studies, and loves sharing his interest on global economies, business and enabling a talent pool for the work force. As an educator, he motivates, and nurtures a love for learning and encourages participation in every course. Respect, honour, hard work and truth are the bywords that he lives by and he inculcates a love for knowledge and a passion for living with each one of his students. One of his favourite Latin mottos which he has carried from his high school years is “Non scholæ sed vitæ discimus” – Not for school, but for life
Scott Peters (Hospitality) Scott received his undergraduate degree in Human Geography (B.A.) from Simon Fraser University (Canada) and his masters degree in International Tourism Development (MSc) from the University of Surrey (U.K.). His research was related to sustainable tourism, destination management, and developing monitoring systems for NGOs/developing tourism enterprises which culminated in a publication in the International Journal of Tourism Research*

Scott worked as a tour guide, researcher, and consultant in the tourism industry, and his passions for teaching mirror both the theoretical and practical implementations of his experience. At last count, Scott has visited over 40 different countries and is always on the lookout to visit more. Scott is also a partner in an event management firm, serving as the Director of Operations, which strives to bring a new look at events in the Canadian event-scape.

*Peters, S., Xavier, F., & Bonilla-Priego, M.J. (2019) Why organizations join voluntary sustainable tourism associations: Implications for membership and sustainability monitoring systems. International Journal of Tourism Research, 22(3), 325-335. DOI: 10.1002/jtr.2338
Jordan Ongtangco (Hospitality) A seasoned Concierge and Hotelier, educator, businessman, mentor, customer service trainer, restauteur passionate cook, and a frustrated golfer, “Jack of all Trades” is an understatement to describe this gentleman.  He received formal education from De La Salle University-College of St. Benilde where he studied Bachelor of Science, Major in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management.

A seasoned hotelier with 15 years of hotel experience with deep emphasis on being a Concierge.  He began his career at the prestigious InterContinental Hotel Manila, where he won multiple recognitions including the “2003 Frontliner of the Year” awarded by the Philippine’s Department of Tourism.  Jordan’s biggest accomplishment in his young career was his admittance to prestigious Unione Internationale des Concierges d’Hotel-Les Clefs d’Or.  An organization of highly-trained Concierges from all over the globe.  He’s acceptance made him one of the youngest members of the international association at age 22.  After a year, he was asked to managed the newest hotel in Manila, the Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila (now New Coast Manila Bay Hotel) as Chef Concierge.  The moved made him the youngest Concierge manager in the world (ref: Les Clefs d’Or Census;2004). After opening the hotel and ensuring the service standards are in place, he decided to take his specialization to other countries.  His career has brought him to Cambodia, Australia, and Singapore.

After his overseas sojourn, he moved back to Manila in 2009 where he began a career in education.  He went back to his alma mater after an invitation from the College Dean for a presentation.  Reluctant at first, but he stayed on as it ignited a new passion in him.  He stayed as an educator teaching Hotel Management, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism.  As an instructor, Jordan has mentored several students that have reached hotel management positions in the different parts of the world.  Seeing his former students succeed in the industry made teaching very endearing to him.  He enjoyed seeing his student succeed in life and in their careers.

At the same time, Jordan has started branching out to other endeavors.  He opened his first business, a restaurant with a couple of his friends.  He also opened a customer service consulting company that is focused on Customer Service training for small hotels and resorts.  In his consulting company, he was able to raise the Tripadvisor rating of his client from 30 to within the top 10, then eventually to top in the city.  As word spread of his training programs, more clients come his way.  Bigger and more established companies have come knocking on his door.

After his recent move to Canada, Jordan has reignited a fire in the two things he is most passionate about, the life of a Concierge and being an educator.  Currently, he is the National Lead for Les Clefs d’Or Canada’s Educational Committee and Concierge and Guest Services Supervisor at Executive Hotel Le Soleil.  Looking for aspiring hoteliers to develop has led him to teaching at Pacific Link College.  Where he is looking forward in sharing his knowledge to those who are looking at a career in the Hospitality industry.
Guneet Mahal (Early Childhood Education) Guneet has been in the field as an Early Childhood Educator for 10 years. She received her certificate in ECE at Langara College and recently completed the instructor development program through Canadian College of Education. She is a qualified Infant/toddler and special needs educator having worked with children ranging from ages 0-12 years old at many different daycare settings. In the beginning of this year that all changed as she shifted into education and started instructing adults in early childhood education. Guneet believes that being interactive and visual will help students understand what to expect when they go out in the ECE field. Her focus is to help the students achieve their academic goals and to encourage group participation. She foster an environment where students can express themselves and openly participate in class.
Melodie Erickson (ESL Academic Support) Living in an increasingly multicultural and multilinguistic society enriches the lives of all Canadians; however, it does not come without its own set of challenges. Being able to understand and respect each other at school or the workplace is vital to one’s success in Canadian society. This is why I am excited to be part of a staff that understands the needs of our students and chooses to work together to help them achieve their goals. My role on this team is to provide ESL Support Classes to students who may require this extra help.

Over the past sixteen years since graduating from my Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education programs at the University of New Brunswick, I have had a wide variety of employment experiences. I taught in international and IB-World schools in Korea, Taiwan, China and the United Arab Emirates. I taught English for Academic Purposes for international students enrolled at Queen’s University and the University of New Brunswick. During that time, I also completed my Master of Science Degree in Multidisciplinary Studies at SUNY Buffalo. However, one of my most rewarding teaching experiences came when I was hired to teach in the LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers) program in New Brunswick. This required me to shift away from teaching in my comfort zone of Academic English to teaching basic literacy skills to students, some of whom, were illiterate in their own language. Knowing that I taught someone to read for the first time in any language was a real honor as a teacher.

I feel that teaching abroad and in Canada has shaped me into the person I am today. I have had the amazing opportunity to teach students from all around the world at various levels of proficiency, in both academic and functional English programs. As we navigate the online learning environment together, I am excited to find myself learning something new each day, as well!

I hope to see you in my class as we learn and improve our skills together!