The United States Embassy to the Philippines, in partnership with the University of Saint Louis (USL), awarded certificates to 26 Louisians at the Bulwagang Teodulfo Domingo on June 30, 2016 for graduating in the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), “The Art of Poetry,” offered by Boston University of the USA.

Graduating were 20 Bachelor in Elementary Education (BEEd) students, 2 Bachelor in Secondary Education (BSEd) English major students, and 4 faculty members from the School of Education, Arts and Sciences (SEAS), namely: Mr. Jervis Canonio, Mr. Kyle Espiritu, Ms. Sarah Ferrer, and Mr. Julius Viernes.

Louisians graduate the Massive Open Online Course, “The Art of Poetry,” offered by Boston University. U.S. Embassy representatives, some USL officials and faculty members, and USL English Language Fellow witness the graduation.Present during the said graduation as representatives of the U.S. Embassy Manila, U.S. Department of State, were Mr. Randolf Mariano, Information Resource Associate, who gave a message, and Ms. Katrina Springer, Cultural Affairs Fellow, who delivered her favorite poem.

For the awarding of certificates, the Embassy representatives were assisted by Rev. Fr. Rex C. Salvilla, CICM Liaison Officer;Dr. Therese May G. Alejandrino, SEAS Dean; Mrs. Anjanette F. Batulan, SEAS Languages Department Head; and Ms. Cerise Santoro, English Language Fellow and the Facilitator of the Online Course in USL.The MOOC is a project of the U.S. government which offers different “highly” interactive learning platforms to support global interactions among students, professors, and teaching assistants through the thousands of American universities. Mr. Mariano, during his message, emphasized the theme, “U.S. Embassy and USL: Strengthening ties, forging new partnerships” and that the U.S. government wants the graduates to join more MOOCs and encourage more people from the locality to join and experience American education without necessarily going to the U.S.

As a showcase of competencies developed through the MOOC, BEEd students recited a poem that they wrote while Quennie Bhey Estavillo rendered a song anchored on a poem she wrote during the online course.

Ms. Springer takes a group selfie photo after the graduation program. Get updates from the American Spaces Philippines by visiting their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/amspacesph.