Filipino student receives academic leadership award from one of world’s best universities

MANILA, Philippines - In recognition of his exemplary academic performance and of his contribution to enhancing the international public profile of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, Dennis Alonzo receives a Dean’s Academic Leadership Award. Dennis, a former Dean of the College of Education of the University of Southeastern Philippines, is presently doing his PhD in Education with a research interest in supporting teachers in making highly contextualised, consistent and trustworthy assessment decisions to effectively support student learning.

In the previous years of his PhD candidature, Dennis has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to his program of study and an exemplary academic performance, including leadership in the university, and significant engagement with other students and staff. Also, Dennis has greatly contributed to the international public profile of  UNSW. He works as a researcher and a consultant to the Ministry of Education of Brunei through UNSW in establishing the Brunei Teachers’ School-Based Assessment for Learning Competency Standards for both primary and secondary schools. He is also part of the TEAL (Tools to Enhance Assessment Literacy of Teachers of English as an Additional Language) project of the Victorian Government of Australia. He is developing the ESL Teachers’ Assessment for Learning Assessment Tool. Further, he works at the Learning and Teaching Unit of UNSW where he is conducting institutional research on a broad range of topics including student IT experiences, blended learning and standards-based assessment to help inform professional development, curriculum design and policy.

Dennis is a recipient of Australian Development Awards (ADS) under the Australian Aid for International Development (AusAID). This is his second ADS scholarship; his first was awarded when he did his Masters in Assessment and Evaluation at the University of Melbourne in 2007. He was also a recipient of the Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development (PCASTRD) scholarship in his Masters in Biology at Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology, where he was also an academic scholar in his undergraduate degree.

When asked what his ultimate career dream is, he quips: “to establish a Philippine educational system which is founded on strong Filipino values and rich cultural heritage to achieve Filipino’s admiration. An educational system which strongly emphasises the culture of ‘bayanihan” to establish a new breed of Filipinos with a high sense of community and belongingness, hence creating a culture of shared destiny, and destiny spelled out as success and sustainable development”.

He is set to return to the Philippines in July 2015 and when asked why he chooses to go back, what is something in his country that he is proud of, he says: “it is not unknown to the world that the political, economic and environmental conditions of the Philippines are far from unimaginable dismay and because of that, it is hard for me to brag anything about my country, but I guess if there is one thing that I am most proud of the Philippines, it is the people-my countrymen, who never lose hope despite the hostility of the circumstances. Never have we given up our aspirations, but all continue to work hard and look forward to that one beautiful day when justice and equity are in harmony with our existence”.

Surely, this young man has a lot to offer for his country and to the rest of the world.

For correspondence, you can email him [email protected]