Teaching Medal Award Winner

Pia Arboleda
Manoa

Pia Arboleda is an assistant professor for the Filipino and Philippine literature program in the Department of Indo-Pacific Languages and Literatures at UH Manoa.

Arboleda believes that “a teacher must strive to stimulate students’ intellectual and emotional growth, respect students’ diverse talents and learning styles, provide a non-threatening atmosphere for learning and promote learning beyond the classroom.”

Many reference her innovative research on subtitling Philippine films and her project on digitizing illustrated folktales as invaluable to the field of folklore and Filipino culture. She is making previously inaccessible films and literature accessible.

Lauded for her outstanding mentorship, leadership and teaching, she is credited by her department colleagues with having successfully turned the Filipino Program around, exponentially increasing the number of majors.

Students speak highly of her mastery of the discipline and her ability to maintain strong standards, while being patient, helpful and compassionate.