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| Dr. Astrid Tuminez ang nauna nga Filipina President sang isa ka US University |
Indi malikawan nga maalam ang mga Ilongga. Sang nagligad lang, nakita naton ang kaalam sa pagsabat sang Question and Answer portion sang Miss Universe Philippines ni Rabiya Mateo sang Iloilo nga amo nagdaog sang Miss Universe Philippines 2020.
Pero nakahibalo kamo bala nga ang una nga Filipina President sang isa ka Unibersidad sa Estados Unidos, isa man ka Ilongga? Siya si Dr. Astrid Tuminez.
It has been a long journey from Iloilo to Utah Valley University (UVU) for Dr. Astrid Tuminez. The first female university president of UVU and a Filipina has trod the path that many have not been able to and succeeded.
The former Regional Director for Corporate, External and Legal Affairs of Microsoft Southeast Asia has been appointed as the seventh president of UVU that was founded in 1941.
"Dr. Tuminez’s experience, vision, and dedication to student success will ensure that UVU continues to thrive in the years ahead," stated Daniel W. Campbell, the chairman of UVU’s Board of Regents.
Coming from humble beginnings in Iloilo, Dr. Tuminez was the youngest of 5 siblings and were given opportunities in education at the Colegio Del Sagrado Corazon De Jesus, a school ran by nuns. Starting at being placed last in school standings in her class, after a few months she was already on top of her class.
Dr. Tuminez is fluent in 6 languages including French, Russian and Spanish. She was able to further her studies at Harvard, a political science PhD at MIT and became Vice Dean at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.
A firm believer in the use of technology to enable inclusive growth for the masses, as a Microsoft executive, she spearheaded the use of TV Whitespace technology to boost WiFi signals in rural fishing areas in Bohol so as to further enhance their utility in disseminating information to fisherfolks so as to enable them to register with ECOFISH, a program for fisherfoks.
UVU offers 84 bachelor degree programs, 8 masters degree programs, 64 associate degree programs, and 44 certificate programs. It is the biggest publicly funded university in the US.
"I was raised in the slums of the Philippines and I was 5 years old when Catholic nuns offered me and my siblings a chance to go to school. So that changed the entire trajectory of my life, and that's what makes it so exciting for me to be in a university like UVU," Dr. Astrid Tuminez said.
She further related that she only had 1 pair of socks that she washed once a week and plugged the holes in her shoes with candy and lollipop wrappers. This is one scientist an academic that fully understand how it is to be poor. Dr. Astrid Tuminez did not only lift up herself but most importantly works for the upliftment of her fellowmen.
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