Knowing more about oneself

Dr. Llige’s PhD journey not only honed her academic and professional skills. It also allowed her to understand herself better and on a deeper level, allowing her to carve her path towards her career and personal goals.

“I learned that I truly work best in isolation. My productivity is very high when I am by myself at home. Of course, working alone does not mean being by yourself all the time and shutting yourself from any human connection. It is important to plan and schedule both hours for productivity and hours for nurturing relationships with the people we love.”

On living alone in a foreign country

While living alone in a foreign country, Dr. Llige found herself journaling every day through Daylio, a mood-tracking application. Thanks to this, she was able to understand herself better, allowing her to strategize in handling issues she faced.

She also did a monthly and annual review of herself for feedback and direction. Through this habit, she was able to point out what gives her energy, what drains her, her progress, and other areas she needs to work on.

Professional development

Dr. Llige’s PhD journey was colored with many opportunities for professional development. While studying for her PhD, she also gained two certificates: Multiple Stakeholder Engagement and Global Women’s Studies.

Aside from that, she also participated in several academic conferences and events, both online and in-person, in different countries. She recalls the Women’s Leadership in Asia program hosted by Ewha University during her first semester, where she was able to meet some amazing women in the region from different institutions.

She also had the opportunity to present research on the advancement of education at the International Conference on Open and Distance e-Learning in the Philippines, and the International Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies in Portugal. Most notable for her was when she presented her preliminary dissertation work at the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies Conference in the Netherlands last year. There, she gained insights from fellow scholars and seasoned professors who helped refine her ideas.

Furthermore, she was able to coordinate institutional partnerships between the University of the Philippines and several Korean universities, including Ewha Womans University. There is now a 5-year agreement on academic partnership.

Moving forward

Dr. Llige plans to go back and focus on teaching, research, and extension works. She will be working on several research projects and publications, including extension work where they will train public school teachers. Furthermore, she hopes to extend her dissertation and work on expanding the knowledge of the Filipino diaspora and their contributions to the development of the country. Because this will require fieldwork, she plans to seek funding to support this project.

Furthermore, she plans to contribute to maintaining the strong ties between the Philippines and South Korea through several plans for exchange and collaboration: 

“Having experienced a wonderful and supportive academic life here, I wish to share the opportunity with others through institution-based agreements.”

Dr. Llige also had the privilege to interact with other HEAT scholars from other ASEAN universities, where they talked about the possibility of inviting each other as resource speakers or collaborating on certain projects. She aims to create networks with them for academic and non-academic exchange and cooperation.

The Department of Home Economics Education once again congratulates Dr. Aurora S. Llige for this milestone!