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In teaching Filipino at Harvard, Lady Orsal finds a way to give back to the Philippines

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Don Tagala | TFC News Massachusetts

The Filipino language is the fourth most common language spoken in the United States, according to America&#x27;s census bureau.One Filipina, Lady Aileen Orsal, is helping even more people to learn how to speak it in America.She even made history by becoming the first ever Filipino language instructor at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.<div><a data-ved="2ahUKEwjfh9uzi6CCAxXdklYBHaWdAKYQFnoECA8QAQ" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/09/06/23/harvard-hires-its-first-filipino-language-instructor" jsname="UWckNb" ping="/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/09/06/23/harvard-hires-its-first-filipino-language-instructor&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjfh9uzi6CCAxXdklYBHaWdAKYQFnoECA8QAQ">Harvard hires its first-ever Filipino language instructor</a></div>It was also the first time that such an academic program was offered at the Ivy League university.&quot;I was happy about the offer,&quot; Orsal shared. &quot;I told them during the interview that even if I don&#x27;t get in, the Filipino-American community would still be happy that this would be offered for the first time.&quot;Orsal teaches elementary and intermediate Filipino language classes for FilAms and for non-Filipinos as well.&quot;Many students are eager to learn the language, not only to speak to their relatives but also to learn about the culture of the Philippines,&quot; she said. &quot;A lot of them conduct research, so I hope that their study of the Filipino language here will help them understand more of what they read.&quot;Orsal is no stranger to teaching Tagalog in America. She spent nine months on a Fulbright foreign language teaching assistant program at the Northern Illinois University.It&#x27;s a non-degree program for early career English teachers to refine their skills through exposure to the U.S., sponsored by the U.S. State Department.She is also getting her master of arts degree in communications studies at the Northern Illinois University, while finishing her doctorate in Philippine Studies at De La Salle University in Manila.Orsal’s dissertation is a study on the impact of integrating culture in teaching Filipino in America, which perfectly aligns with her teaching style at Harvard.The educator considers this as a way of giving back to the Philippines, by promoting Filipino language and culture in America.&quot;Let us continue to promote our culture, our language, and our diversity,&quot; Orsal said. &quot;Let us be one in doing this for our country.&quot;

The educator considers this as a way of promoting Filipino language and culture in America.