Cavite instructor to teach Harvard University’s 1st-ever Filipino language course

MANILA, Philippines – Former Cavite State University instructor Lady Aileen Ambion Orsal was formally introduced as Harvard University’s first-ever Filipino language instructor, the university’s Asia Center announced on Friday, August 25.

This comes five months after The Harvard Crimson, Harvard’s student newspaper, reported that the university would officially begin offering Filipino language classes in the academic year 2023 to 2024. The Filipino language course will be launched for the first time in the university’s 400-year history. 

Orsal first began teaching introductory and intermediate Filipino in 2018 at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois University, where she was a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant. She has also taught Filipino at the Cavite State University. 

The Harvard University Asia Center conducted fundraising efforts to sustain Orsal’s teaching position. 

“Thanks to a generous gift, this new Preceptor position is funded through an endowment that ensures that Filipino languages will always be taught at Harvard,” Robson stated in the announcement. 

“Naniniwala akong maliit na bahagi lamang ako ng istorya at ang pagkakataong maituro ito ay bunga ng pagsisikap ng mga taong patuloy na inadhika na magkaroon ng mayaman at makabuluhang programa ng Filipino sa pamantasan,” Orsal posted on Facebook on Wednesday, September 6.

(I believe I’m just a small part of the story and the opportunity to teach Filipino is the fruit of the tireless work of those who continue to advocate for a rich and meaningful Filipino program at the university).

With Filipino being the fourth most-spoken language in the US, Harvard’s Filipino language course was conceptualized to help learners develop the necessary skills to hone their competency in the language. Students will also be taught about various topics in Filipino culture, history, traditions, and society. 

Alongside Orsal, Sakti Suryani, an Indonesian language instructor, was also hired to teach Bahasa Indonesian at the elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels in Harvard’s Fall 2023 term.

Orsal earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication in 2012 from the Cavite State University and her Master of Arts degree in Philippines Studies in 2017 from De La Salle University. By 2024, she is expected to graduate with an MA in Communication from Northern Illinois University and a PhD in Philippine Studies from De La Salle University. – Rappler.com