Kay Arden Q. Gallo, Kay to her friends and colleagues, did not see herself pursuing a career in the academe right after college. Upon receiving her Bachelor of Arts in English diploma from Central Philippine University (CPU) in 2011, the Magna Cum Laude graduate planned to study law. However, this Ilongga is meant for other things, endeavors that are not in any of her plans. Few months after college graduation, she was offered to teach part time at the Department of Languages, Mass Communication, and Humanities of her Alma Mater, CPU. It did not take long before she realized that teaching is what she wanted to do for the rest of her life, even if it entails waking up early every day for a 7AM class. In 2012, she enrolled at the University of the Philippines Visayas’ Master of Education (English as a Second Language) program, a degree she completed in 2014. In 2017, through her university’s international linkages, Kay was based in South Korea for a year where she taught English to the students, faculty, and staff of CPU’s partner university. It was while there that she knew that her heart belongs to the Philippines, that serving the country is teaching in the country.

While she is still uncertain about what field to study for her Ph.D., she plans to learn more about speech writing and to explore the intricacies of language, gender, and culture while enjoying a cup of coffee and a good book. Kay, a full-time faculty member of Central Philippine University since 2016, is currently a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant at Northern Illinois University.