Julius Soria immigrated to Hawai‘i from the Philippines in 1988. He is a full time instructor of Ilokano with the Department of Indo-Pacific Languages and Literatures at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He holds a masters degree in English as Second Language from UHM and is currently pursuing his doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction. He has been teaching Ilokano at Farrington High School since 2002 through the UH Mānoa GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) grant. In addition to his teaching duties, he is involved in community organizations including Sariling Gawa Youth Council and GUMIL Hawai‘i. His research interests include second/foreign/heritage language learning and teaching and curriculum/materials development.
We must stand in unity to uplift and move forward the educational achievement of our Filipino American students.