Born and brought up in the Philippines, I have long had fascinations and curiosities about people in other cultural worlds – their way of life, why they live the way they do, and what makes us the same/different. With this, I got a degree in Anthropology for my BA and MA. For the MA thesis, I examined the “Charming Eyes” of department store salesladies in Metro Manila and how gender performance contributes to cultural mobility. I find learning about others quite absorbing.

 My career combines research and consulting with part-time teaching. After BA, I worked for non-profit organizations in agriculture, fisheries, and health—this offered understanding of the social & development issues confronting various sectors of Philippine society. Since 2008, I have engaged business organizations, management practitioners, and government agencies as an ethnographer. Most of my assignments investigate diverse life contexts, consumption patterns, and service deliveries. This experience created a keen interest in pursuing a Ph.D. and studying business organizations and enterprises from an anthropological perspective.