For the first time in history, a former faculty member from Cavite State University was chosen to teach Filipino Language in Harvard University!
The good news was announced by James Robson, a Victor and William Fung Director at Harvard University Asia Center, through a letter dated on August 25.
According to Robson, Lady Aileen Orsal will teach elementary and intermediate Filipino (Tagalog) courses, a new course being offered by the university.
Robson said Tagalog is the fourth most spoken language in the United States after English, Spanish and Chinese.
"Lady Aileen is a dedicated, creative and effective teacher who is committed to being a leader in Filipino language pedagogy. She also has an impressive background in Philippine Studies, including Philippine culture, history and politics. She has conducted research and published on traditional tattoo art, the coffee culture of the Philippines, and the use of music in political campaign jingles," the Harvard University Asia Center Director said.
Aside from Cavite State University, Orsal also previously taught at the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois University.
Indonesian Sakti will join Orsal as she teaches elementary, intermediate, and advanced Bahasa Indonesia courses at the prestigious university.
"We are extremely happy to welcome Lady Aileen Orsal and Sakti Suryani to the Harvard community. We also look forward to working with them to develop, highlight, and showcase the richness and variety of the history and cultures of the Philippines and Indonesia through events on the Harvard campus," Robson said.
In 2018, Orsal started teaching the Filipino language as a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois University.
