Gemma Derpo DalayoanGemma Dalayoan had been a high school teacher in the Philippines before coming to Canada in 1976. She finished her Bachelor of Education Degree at the University of the East, major in History in 1962; her Bachelor of Arts in English at the Central Intitution of Technology in 1975 in the Philippines. She started as a garment worker upon arrival in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; gave birth to her 6th child, a son in 1977. She became a teacher-assistant at two schools in the Winnipeg School Division. She became a full-time English as a Second Language ( ESL ) teacher in 1981. As a part-time student, she graduated with a Bachelor of Education ( B. Ed ) in 1983 at the University of Manitoba (UM). She took summer courses and correspondent courses leading to her Master's Degree in ESL and graduated in 1990. She became very active with the Manitoba Association of Filipino Teachers Inc. ( MAFTI) and became its president for 3 times ( 1988-1992; 2003-2007; 2009-2013 ). She became vice-principal of 3 schools from 1994-2004 of the Winnipeg School Division. She has written 3 books, The First Filipino Immigrants in Manitoba ( 1959-1975) published in 2008 by the Manitoba Writers' Guild funded by the provincial government; Understanding Filipino Seniors in Manitoba published by the Knights of Rizal ( KoR ) in partnership with MAFTI in 2010. She is also a multi-awarded community leader. On May 8, 2019, she was one of the 5 recipients of the University of Manitoba Outstanding Alumni Award for Community Service. She is currently writing a book titled, Grammatically yours, Gemma. Read More Read Less