May 2008
At 59, Lilia Santiago (AB ‘71, MA ’79, PhD ’91) – wife to Jesus Santiago, mom to four grown-ups, writer, researcher, teacher, American Field Service scholar, political detainee - moved to Hawaii to quench her thirst for travel. Having been in UP all her academic life, she was ready to tackle being Instructor in Ilokano language and literature at UH-Manoa for a change.
Lilia has taught in three UP campuses – Baguio, Los Banos, Diliman – at different times of her life. “I was in UP during the First Quarter Storm (FQS) which ignited the historical protest against fascism and dictatorship in the Philippines,” writes Lilia. “This experience contributed to defining my person. I was called LQS because of that. Now, there is another meaning to LQS - Liquid Sunshine in Hawaii - and I am now basking in that,” Lilia laughs.
A true Maroon, Lilia has always been giving of her time and skills. She was Associate for Fiction at the Likhaan: UP Creative Writing Center. She’s led poetry, fiction and writing workshops for various groups and given lectures and teacher training seminars on language, translation, Philippine, and feminist literature. Her involvement in the women’s movement has taken her to various parts of the world. At UH, she looks forward to doing a more definitive, collaborative research on the intersections/interactions of race, class, gender, and ethnicity.
Always the iskolar ng bayan, Lilia thoughtfully reflects, “I think UP activism has spread the world over. In the 1970s, it was consciousness of service to the nation, thus, “Serve the People,” or Paglingkuran ang Sambayanan. Now, apart from the twin hallmarks of a UP education – academic freedom and academic excellence - UP alumni in the diaspora are adding a third hallmark, ie, dedicated service to the human community, wherever that may be.”
E komo mai, Lilia!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment