I am a Filipino-Canadian sociocultural anthropologist, educator, community and educational leader, and public scholar whose work bridges gender, migration, food, and inclusive post-secondary education. My grounding in anthropology continues to shape how I understand people, place, and belonging—whether in the classroom, the community, or institutional spaces.

I hold a BA (Honours) and MA in Anthropology from the University of Alberta, where my graduate training focused on comparative gender studies in Southeast Asia. My research journey began with ethnographic fieldwork in Singapore and Bali, Indonesia (in partnership with Project X and Yayasan Gaya Dewata), where, under the supervision of Dr. Gregory Forth, I studied the disrupted life cycles of transwomen sex workers and their experiences of transitioning and de-transitioning in later life. In 2018, I was a Visiting Scholar and Fellow with the Chair in Transgender Studies and the Transgender Archives at the University of Victoria, where I deepened my engagement with trans archives, community-based research, and public scholarship.

Later, as part of my SSHRC-funded doctoral research under Dr. Helen Vallianatos, I examined how cuisine, memory, and placemaking shape Filipino identity and belonging in Edmonton. I left my PhD in 2023 in focus on program leadership and community building work that extended beyond traditional academia.

My career in higher education began in digital communications and professional development at the University of Alberta, where I supported graduate students through storytelling and equity-focused programming, and continued at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Graduate Professional Development (CGPD), where I helped design and coordinated graduate initiatives linking research, leadership, and public impact. These experiences deepened my commitment to building educational environments that are inclusive, creative, and community-rooted.

Teaching is at the heart of my work. I have taught courses in anthropology, communications and career development, ethics, writing, and public speaking at NorQuest College, the University of the Philippines Baguio, MacEwan University, and Portage College. My teaching emphasizes inclusion, accessibility, and community connection. I see every classroom as a space for curiosity, collaboration, and confidence building, where students not only learn content but also recognize themselves as capable contributors to their fields and communities.

I currently serve as Associate Chair, Technology in the Faculty of Business, Environment, and Technology at NorQuest College. My portfolio primarily focuses on leading the Digital Information Careers (DGIC) Certificate, a pioneering data analytics and business intelligence program for neurodiverse learners, while supporting the Machine Learning Analyst Diploma (MLAD) program. My leadership centers on inclusive program design, community partnerships, and developing pathways for historically excluded learners in technology fields.

My contributions as an educator, researcher, and community leader have been recognized nationally and locally. I was named one of Alberta’s Top 30 Under 30 (2020), shortlisted for the Golden Balangay Awards in Post-Secondary Educational Excellence (2021) and Educator of the Year (2025) and honored as one of Edify Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 in Edmonton (2025). These recognition reflect my ongoing commitment to equity, innovation, and community-building in education.

I am currently pursuing a Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Research at the University of Calgary’s Werklund School of Education, specializing in Leadership, Policy, and Governance in Post-Secondary Contexts under the supervision of Dr. Barbara Brown. While my doctoral research direction is still emerging, it is informed by Bale Maragul (Big House)—a long-standing passion project and evolving leadership framework developed through my professional practice. Bale Maragul emphasizes space-making, care-taking, and co-building within higher education and provides a conceptual lens for thinking about institutional infrastructure, leadership practice, and community-rooted approaches to inclusion.

Within this emerging orientation, my thinking is particularly shaped by questions of neuroinclusive design in post-secondary contexts, especially how policies, programs, and learning environments can be structured to better support neurodivergent learners beyond accommodation-based models. Bale Maragul also exists as a community initiative that celebrates Filipino heritage and fosters belonging for neurodiverse and multicultural communities, offering a situated practice context that informs—but does not yet determine—the scope, methods, or focus of my doctoral research.

I split my time between Edmonton and Toronto, where I continue to build connections across academic, professional, and community spaces. Outside of work, I find joy in spin classes and running, strong coffee, and building with LEGO, which are creative practices that keep me grounded, curious, and connected to community.