Marides Fernando, MPS
President, River Star Food Group & Associates
Marides Fernando founded Pamantasan Lunsod ng Marikina School during her term as Mayor of Marikina City and the College of Arts and Sciences of Asian and the Pacific after her term. As the founder of the schools, she made sure that her students had the best educators. She reached out to the out-of-school youth especially those who could not afford a proper education. Teachers received a benefits package to motivate them to stay and teach with passion. The latest technology and equipment were acquired to ensure that the students are up-to-date with the latest tools so they can compete in the workplace.
She has received various awards for her accomplishments - the People of the Year Award in 2006 from People Asia Magazine, Outstanding Woman in Government 2007 from Filipino-Chinese Federation of Business & Professional Women in the Philippines. While she was mayor of Markina City, it was selected One of the Most Competitive Metropolitan Cities in the Philippines in the Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project in 2007.
Patricia Halagao
Associate Professor, University of Hawaii, Manoa
Patricia received her BA in Anthropology from Occidental College and MEd and PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Washington. Her work focuses on culturally responsive curricula, policy, and evaluation. Through her work with the Polynesian Voyaging Society and The Smithsonian Institute, Patricia developed innovative programming. A former Teach for America corps member, she has taught at all K-12 grade levels. She is a recipient of University of Hawaiʻiʼs Board of Regentʼs Medal for Excellence in Teaching (2012) and serves on the Hawaiʻi State Board of Education.
Patricia serves as the lead in developing educational initiatives for the proposed Obama Presidential Center. She is helping to coordinate education programming for the Hokulea’s worldwide voyage and working on different policies that will effect the K-12 students in Hawaii. 185,000 plus students plus the rest of the 1.3 million Hawaiian residents who will benefit from both initiatives.