8 from WV chosen as Ford International Fellows
Five teachers, two lawyers and a journalist from Western Visayas were recently chosen as Ford Foundation International Fellows to pursue graduate studies leading to master and doctorate degrees. Their fellowship will commence in the third quarter of 2008.
They are Liby Norman Limoso, Mary Obeta Villareal, Lucille Arcedas, Ma. Aleta Nuñez, Danny Valenzuela, Karen Marie Thelma Jesena, Eric Divinagracia and Ma. Diosa Labiste.
They were among the eighth batch of fellows chosen from applicants all over the country to receive study grants under the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP). The fellows were chosen for their excellent academic qualifications, leadership potential and track record in community or public service. They may enroll in schools anywhere in the world, including the Philippines.
The Philippine Social Science Council (PSSC), an independent organization of social science association, research centers and institutions in the country, administers the International Fellowships Program. In Western Visayas, the University of San Agustin Coordinating Center for Research and Publications serves as the IFP regional office.
Jigger Latoza, the regional partner representative in Western Visayas for IFP said the region has the biggest number of recipients of the fellowships in the country for two years now. Last year, seven applicants from the region made it.
He said the eight IFP fellows have stood out for their social commitment, leadership and academic achievement. The fellows, along with nine others, were first endorsed by the regional office to the national office, which conducted panel interviews and tests. Those who passed the national screening were subsequently endorsed to the Ford Foundation central office in New York, which made the final selection. There were 59 applicants for the 2008 fellowships from Western Visayas.
Limoso, who hails from Tuburan, Lambunao, is a fine arts instructor from the University of San Agustin, Iloilo. He has conducted art workshop and lectures among school children in Iloilo City together with Museo Iloilo and the Iloilo City government. He plans to pursue a master's degree in fine arts major in sculpture.
Villareal is assistant professor of English at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas. She has an undergraduate course in Comparative Literature and a graduate degree in English language teaching. She wants to study Literary Linguistics for her Ph.D.
A native of Kabankalan, Negros Occidental, Arcedas teaches college algebra, statistics, geometry and basic mathematics at Colegio San Agustin, Bacolod. She is active in church activities as a member of the Legion of Mary. She wants to earn a master's degree in Statistics.
Nuñez, a lawyer, works with the provincial legal office of Negros Occidental and teaches law at the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod. She finished her baccalaureate and law degree at the University of the Philippines, Diliman. She wants to pursue a master's degree in Environmental Law.
Valenzuela is a lawyer and part-time lecturer at the College of Law in the University of San Agustin. He is the director of the university-based Center for Alternative Law, a human rights center and legal clinic. He wants to earn a Master of Laws degree in public service law or human rights.
Jesena heads the Iloilo Integrated School in Mandurriao, Iloilo City where she oversees the pre-school and elementary departments of the school. She wants to earn a Master of Science in Education degree with focus on early childhood and special education.
Divinagracia is a teacher and coordinator of the Center for Culture and the Arts of the University of San Agustin. He has staged and coordinated plays, concerts, exhibits and arts competition and gave workshops on culture and the arts. He wants to earn a Master of Arts in Arts Management degree.
Labiste is a correspondent of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and a part-time journalism lecturer at the University of San Agustin. She is a journalism trainer for campus and community journalists and officer of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines. She will pursue a Ph.D. in Media Studies.
The call for applications for the 2009 Ford Foundation IFP will soon be made. For more information, please contact Prof. Jigger Latoza, regional IFP partner for Western Visayas, University of San Agustin, Iloilo City, at telefax (033) 3377716 or through email (research@usa.edu.ph).