After nearly 400 years since its founding, the prestigious Harvard University has named its first-ever Filipino language instructor.

Lady Aileen Orsal, who used to teach at Cavite State University, is now the university's first preceptor for its Filipino language course. She will be teaching elementary and intermediate Filipino (Tagalog) beginning of Fall 2023.

"Gayunpaman, naniniwala akong maliit na bahagi lamang ako ng istorya at ang pagkakataong maituro ito ay bunga ng pagsisikap ng mga taong patuloy na inadhika na magkaroon ng mayaman at makabuluhang programa ng Filipino sa pamantasan. Ang pagpupunyagi nila ang tunay na nais kong ibida. Kasama na rito ang pagsaludo sa lahat ng mga gurong Pilipino at guro ng/sa Filipino sa loob at labas ng bansa partikular na ang mga guro ko sa CvSU at DLSU at sa mga kaibigan at mentor ko na guro sa NIU at iba pang pamantasan sa Estados Unidos na dahilan kung bakit patuloy akong natututo sa mga istratehiya sa pagtuturo ng ating wika at kultura (However, I believe that I am only a small part of the story, the opportunity to teach the result of the effort of people who have continuously strived to have a rich and meaningful Filipino program in the university. Their efforts are what I really want to highlight. This includes saluting all Filipino teachers inside and outside the country, especially my teachers at CvSU and DLSU and my friends and mentors who are teachers at NIU and other universities in the United States — the reason why I continue to learn from strategies in teaching our language and culture)," she wrote on Facebook.

Orsal said she's currently preparing for the classes, saying that "mas marami tayong maibabahaging kwento sa hinaharap kapag handa na ako at may mga magagandang bunga na ang programa na nais nating payabungin (we'll have more stories to share in the future when I'm ready, hoping for the program will yield good results)."

She dedicates this milestone "#parasabayan" while hoping that Filipinos "will continue to honor being Filipino in every corner of the world."

Orsal demonstrates an impressive background in Philippine Studies, and has conducted research and published several works on traditional tattoo art, the country's coffee culture, and the use of music in political campaign jingles.

"Lady Aileen is a dedicated, creative and effective teacher who is committed to being a leader in Filipino language pedagogy. We also look forward to working with her to develop, highlight and showcase the richness and variety of the history and cultures of the Philippines through events on the Harvard campus," said James Robson, Victor and William Fung director at Harvard University Asia Center.

Orsal's teaching career began as a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant at the Center of Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois University in 2018. She is currently completing two degrees: an MA in Communication from Northern Illinois University and a PhD in Philippine Studies from De La Salle University in the Philippines, both expected to be completed next year.

Apart from Orsal, Harvard also welcomed Sakti Suryani as a preceptor from Indonesia. Harvard will also offer elementary, intermediate and advanced Indonesian courses at the beginning of its fall term.

According to the Harvard University Asia Center, Filipino (or Tagalog) is the fourth most-spoken language in the United States, after English, Spanish and Chinese.