Dr. Excelsa C. Tongson is a Professor of Family Life and Child Development at the College of Home Economics, the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD). Through the years, she has handled key administrative positions, including College Secretary, Project Development Associate of the Office of the University Registrar, and Deputy Director for Training, Outreach, and Extension Program of the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies. She has been awarded with numerous professorial chair grants such as One UP Professorial Chair for Teaching and Public Service and UP Centennial Professorial Chair.

Dr. Tongson is a passionate feminist and human rights advocate with more than 30 years of experience working with children, women, and people of diverse backgrounds. Her research interests include gender responsive early childhood care and development (ECCD) and unpaid care work of women in multi-generation households. She has conducted training and led studies and projects for local and international organizations such as UNICEF, UN Women, UN Research Institute for Social Development, The World Bank, and Save the Children Philippines. She spearheaded key education and child development projects such as the UNICEF projects on the Development of Home-based materials for parents during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Strengthening Systems for Capacity Building of Child Development Workers and Child Development Teachers in partnership with the ECCD Council, and Development of Learning Exemplars for Kindergarten for the Department of Education. In preparation for the 30th Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 2025, she led a series of consultations across Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and the National Capital Region that brought together 372 women and girls from various community-based and women’s organizations. She is the Editor-in-Chief of PRISMA, gender and education e-journal of the Philippine Normal University. She was a Philippine Delegate to the United Nations during the 68th and 69th Sessions of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in 2024 and 2025 at the UN Headquarters in New York City.

Now, the Philippine Normal University, my alma mater, lives on in me through cherished memories and profound lessons whose influence remains deeply woven into my being. My batch belonged to the first group of students admitted here after the 1986 EDSA Revolution. Early on, our esteemed professors impressed upon us a clear and powerful purpose: our university would be the leading innovator in education in the Philippines and in the ASEAN Region, producing alumni with both the capacity and the commitment to respond to the nation’s changing needs across time. To think deeply about education in a changing environment is to envision change—and change requires reflection and choices.

Truly, the world has transformed in remarkable ways since the day I graduated from this university. These transformations, brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, the digital revolution, the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence, and other factors, present colossal challenges that both national and global educational systems must confront with creativity, courage, and innovation. PNU has equipped me with the competencies necessary in a fluid,

interconnected, and increasingly complex world. Diversity, inclusion, and multi-age classrooms are not new to me—they were already part of our discussions back in college. Over time, these perspectives and concepts, including gender equality, have grown stronger and more vital, shaping the learning environments that PNU now champions with unwavering commitment.

I could speak volumes about what PNU has taught me, yet at its core lies the certainty that no matter what changes or challenges we face, teaching will always remain profoundly human that would require our unwavering commitment, valiant creativity, sharpest critical thinking, and most meaningful collaboration.

To my dear alma mater, the Philippine Normal University, thank you for lighting the path not only for me but for the countless educators you have guided. This award is not only a recognition of our valuable contribution to nation building, but a reminder that we need to hold our torches for the future of education.