GIANINNA ELAINE M. LABICANE

Home Institution: Romblon State University

Host Institution: University of Pennsylvania

Award Name: Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program

Discipline: Language Teaching

Award Year: 2022

Gianinna Elaine M. Labicane, also fondly referred to by her family and friends as Ninna, is a Marinduqueña born as the only child of Gonzalo A. Labicane, Jr. and Eden M. Labicane on December 4, 1997. She is currently an Assistant Professor III and Advocacy Officer at the Romblon State University. As a Fulbright scholar, Miss Labicane will spend 9 months at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, USA to serve as a Foreign Language Teaching Assistant.

She earned her primary and secondary education from the Educational Systems Technological Insitute in Marinduque. She then went on to pursue her Bachelor of Arts in English degree from the Marinduque State College where she was a consistent Dean’s Lister, and eventually graduated as Cum Laude in 2017. She earned her Master of Arts in Education major in Teaching English as a Second Language degree at the University of Perpetual Help System Laguna in 2020 and is currently studying Doctor of Philosophy in English from the Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation. Prior to her appointment at Romblon State University, she served as an Instructor I at the Marinduque State College under the School of Arts and Sciences for four years. During her time at MSC, she was also appointed as the Advocacy Officer, then, later on, the Presidential Assistant for Special Projects and Advocacy Programs for the Office of the College President. Miss Labicane is also actively engaged in research, having presented at numerous international research conferences and published articles about language teaching and educational technology in peer-reviewed journals. Being an early career educator, Miss Labicane has always been passionate about continuously developing her pedagogical abilities, while her experience in civic engagement sparked her interest in learning how to effectively navigate through multicultural environments. These serve as her primary objectives for participating in the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program 2022-2023.

Since childhood, Miss Labicane has had extensive involvement in community work-- volunteering to serve in outreach programs, medical missions, and cultural exchanges in her home province. For her dedication and commitment to environmental protection and conservation, Miss Labicane has been conferred the Gawad Tanggol Kalikasan Award in 2021. She has also been a Municipal Youth Executive Council Chair for the Marinduque Council for Environmental Concerns, a member of the Rotaract Club of Marinduque State College, a Liaison Officer for the American Field Service – Marinduque Chapter, and a volunteer for the Marinduque Animal and Wildlife Rescue Emergency Response Team, and a youth ambassador for the Agrea Agricultural Systems Philippines.