Evaluation Staff
Anastasia Harper
Evaluator
Specialist degree in Linguistics, Translation and Interpretation, Saint Petersburg State University of Culture and Arts (Russia) Prior to joining IERF, Anastasia worked as an assistant and interpreter at institutions such as the Credit Europe Bank in Saint Petersburg. She was also an admissions officer and immigration specialist for Southern Illinois University’s Center for English as a Secondary Language (SIU CESL Carbondale). Anastasia has traveled extensively abroad, having also previously served as an intern in Brescia (Italy) and in Christchurch (United Kingdom). She is fluent in Russian and has a working knowledge of Italian, Spanish and Ukrainian. Anastasia also contributed to IERF’s publication, the Index of Languages (2017), a reference guide on the languages of instruction in countries around the world.
I-Hsing Lin
Senior Evaluator
Bachelor of Arts in Japanese, Soochow University, Taiwan Master of Arts in Linguistics, California State University, Northridge (CSUN) I-Hsing previously worked at CSUN’s ESL program as a student advisor, assisting international students with issues related to the U.S. educational system and culture. She also taught English conversation at CSUN and Japanese at Santa Monica College. Since joining IERF, she has proudly served in the credentials evaluation field for over 15 years, having produced approximately 15,000 reports. I-Hsing specializes in Asia and the Middle East and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Japanese and Taiwanese. I-Hsing has also presented on international educational systems at numerous workshops and conferences, at the regional, national and international level. She is a contributor to Volumes I and II of the New Country Index as well as NAFSA’s Online Guide to Educational Systems around the World.
Melody Ojeda
Senior Evaluator and Manager of Evaluation Department
Bachelor of Arts in History, University of California, Los Angeles During her undergraduate studies, Melody had the opportunity to study abroad in both Buenos Aires, Argentina and Jerusalem, Israel. While in Argentina, she studied history and cultural studies, and while in Israel, she studied archaeology. Melody has also worked as a research assistant for a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC and as an Education Facilitator for the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. Prior to joining IERF, Melody served as a District Coordinator for a tutoring agency, working with over 100 school districts, 5,000 students, and over 400 tutors throughout the State of California Melody has traveled extensively throughout Europe and also lived in Vienna, Austria for one year. She is fluent in Spanish and can read and write in Hebrew. She recently co-presented at the NAFSA Region XII Northern District conference. Her session was entitled, “Got International Transcripts and Diplomas? Build the Ultimate Resource Library (on a Budget)!” Melody also contributed to IERF’s publication, the Index of Languages (2017), a reference guide on the languages of instruction in countries around the world.
Irene C. Romo
Evaluator
Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts, Santa Monica College Completed further studies at California State University, Los Angeles Irene has been with IERF for over 20 years. Prior to occupying an evaluator position, she managed the Client Service Department for 6 years. Irene is fluent in Spanish and has a working knowledge of Portuguese. She has traveled throughout Mexico. Irene specializes in the educational systems of Latin America, Asia and the Pacific, and Anglophone Africa. She has made presentations on the educational systems of countries in Latin America, including at a regional conference held by NAFSA – Association of International Educators. Irene contributed to IERF’s publications, The New Country Index Volume II (2011), the Index of Educational Terms (2012), and the Index of Languages (2017). These are references frequently used for interpreting the educational backgrounds of those who have studied outside the United States and who need statements of educational equivalencies in order to enter the U.S. educational environment and work force.
Tara Wessel Swoboda
Evaluator
Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature with a minor in Russian Literature, University of California at Berkeley, Master of Arts in English Literature, Loyola Marymount University, Completion of Doctoral coursework in Education, University of Southern California
Prior to joining IERF in 2007, Tara worked as a research assistant at Loyola Marymount University. As an IERF Evaluator, Tara presented on various topics at regional and national conferences and contributed to The New Country Index, Volume II (2011). Before rejoining IERF in 2023, Tara worked in admission offices at the University of Southern California (USC) and Mount Saint Mary’s University, where she also taught American Culture and English Literature courses. At USC, Tara also served as an international field study chaperone supporting doctoral students in their field research in China and Botswana. Since then, she has built extensive experience as an educational consultant.
Tara has traveled throughout the US, Central and South America, Europe, and Africa. She is proficient in Spanish and has a working knowledge of academic terms in various languages including Russian and French.
Alice Tang
Senior Evaluator
IERF Credentials Video Library Editor
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles Prior to joining IERF in 2005, Alice had extensive experience in customer service and education, including that of participating in adolescent outreach and immigrant literacy development programs. Before assuming her current position, she successfully held the position as the Allied Health Evaluation Coordinator at IERF. Alice has studied several languages and has a working knowledge of Chinese, French, Russian and Armenian. She has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia.
Alice specializes in the educational systems of Europe, Asia and the Pacific, Anglophone Africa, and the Middle East. She has presented numerous papers on various topics relating to international education at national and regional conferences. Included in these conferences are those held by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), NAFSA – Association of International Educators, the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals (NAGAP), and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). Alice contributed to IERF’s publication, The New Country Index Volume II (2011). She also served as co-editor of the Index of Educational Terms (2012), the Index of Academic Calendars & Dates (2015), and the Index of Languages (2017). These are references frequently used for interpreting the educational backgrounds of those who have studied outside the United States and who need statements of educational equivalencies in order to enter the U.S. educational environment and work force. She also contributed to NAFSA’s Online Guide to Educational Systems around the World publication. Alice was selected to participate in the 2011 Baden-Württemberg Seminar, sponsored by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts in Germany.
Alina Trofimova
Senior Evaluator, Knowledge Base Manager
Bachelor of Arts with double majors in French and Slavic Languages & Literatures, University of California, Berkeley Prior to joining IERF, Alina has gained administrative and clerical experience working at the Berkeley Language Center and at the Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies. She also worked for Los Angeles Unified and Berkeley Unified School Districts, participating in literacy development and youth outreach programs. As an undergraduate student, Alina spent two semesters abroad studying French culture at the University of Lyon, and European history and language translation at the University of Bordeaux, France.
Alina is a native of Minsk, Belarus and grew up there. She is fluent in Russian, proficient in French, and has studied Belarussian and Spanish. She has traveled extensively throughout Europe. She specializes in the educational systems of Asia as well as those countries patterned after the French and Russian systems. Alina contributed to IERF’s publication, the Index of Academic Calendars & Dates (2015), a handy reference used for determining and converting dates of study on academic records from around the world. She also contributed to the Index of Languages (2017), a reference guide on the languages of instruction in countries around the world.
Emily K. Tse
Director of Evaluations
Bachelor of Arts in Classics, University of Pennsylvania Master of Philosophy in Classics, Cambridge University (England) Prior to joining IERF in 2000, Emily taught at the postsecondary level, both in the United Kingdom and the United States. Emily has studied several languages and has a working knowledge of French, Spanish, German, Sanskrit, Chinese, Latin and Classical Greek. She has traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia and Oceania. She has presented numerous papers at national and regional conferences on various topics relating to international education. Included in these conferences are those held by NAFSA – Association of International Educators, the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals (NAGAP), the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). She has also presented at conferences overseas.
Emily, who spearheads IERF’s training services, has provided extensive training for university admissions professionals, both in the U.S. and abroad. Emily has also held various positions within professional organizations in the field of international education. She serves as the Chair of NAFSA’s Subcommittee for Information Management (SIM), as well as the Credentials Co-editor of the IEM Spotlight newsletter for the admissions and recruitment community. She is also a member of the Standards Committee for The Association for International Credential Evaluation Professionals (TAICEP).
Emily received the Pioneer Research Grant for a project which led to the publication of the Index of Secondary Credentials (2010). Emily also contributed to IERF’s other publications, The New Country Index (2004) and The New Country Index Volume II (2011) and Taking Out the Guesswork: A Guide to International Academic Records (2019) Additionally, she also served as co-editor of the Index of Educational Terms (2012) , the Index of Academic Calendars & Dates (2015), and the Index of Languages (2017). These are references frequently used for interpreting the educational backgrounds of those who have studied outside the United States and who need statements of educational equivalencies in order to enter the U.S. educational environment and work force. In 2019, NAFSA-the Association of International Educators named Emily as the recipient of The Annual Award for Outstanding Contributions to International Enrollment Management. For more details, click here.
Victoriya Vakhotina
Evaluator
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, California State University, Northridge Master of Science in Applied Psychological Science, Pacific University Prior to joining IERF, Victoriya worked as a researcher. With a multi-disciplinary education in journalism, history and psychology, she has put her background to use helping non-profits achieve their goals; conducting program evaluations, general research and writing grants. Victoriya has also given poster presentations at various conferences from her previous work in psychology labs, including the 38th Annual Behavior Medicine Conference. A native of Ukraine, she was raised in Los Angeles and is fluent in Russian and English. She has also traveled in Eastern Europe.
Alvin Yin
Senior Evaluator, Quality Assurance Coordinator
Bachelor of Arts with double majors in Asian Studies and Law & Society, University of California, Santa Barbara Juris Doctor with a specialization in International Law, Golden Gate University School of Law Prior to joining IERF in 2001, Alvin interned at an immigration law office, where he drafted legal motions, served as a Chinese interpreter and translator, and assisted in legal research. Alvin is a native of Hong Kong and grew up there. He is fluent in Cantonese Chinese and Mandarin Chinese. He has traveled extensively throughout Asia and Europe. Alvin specializes in the educational systems of Asia and the Pacific as well as those countries patterned after the British system. He has presented numerous papers on various topics relating to international education at NAFSA – Association of International Educators regional conferences. Alvin contributed to IERF’s publications, The New Country Index (2004), The New Country Index Volume II (2011), the Index of Educational Terms (2012), and the Index of Languages (2017). These are references frequently used for interpreting the educational backgrounds of those who have studied outside the United States and who need statements of educational equivalencies in order to enter the U.S. educational environment and work force. He also contributed to NAFSA’s Online Guide to Educational Systems around the World publication.