By Cyrus A. Natividad

Delicana is graduate of Doctor of Management in Public Management (DM) in 2005, Master of Arts in Nursing (MAN) in 1998 and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 1966 from Central Philippine University.

Dr. Lilia A. Delicana is currently the Director of Nursing Service Department, Medicus Medical Center. She is also a part-time faculty of the CPU Graduate School. This jovial professor of Self-Empowerment continues to share her insights on the importance of empowering students.

In an interview, Delicana was asked: What is the role of education in building up self-empowerment in students? She said, “A student who has achieved an education, to a certain extent, would have founded an awareness of reality. However, education is unique in terms of time and place where the student is enrolled. The role of the educational institution is to assist them in their struggle within themselves.” “Pressures and demands on a daily basis,” according to Delicana “can cause students to fall behind or lose confidence in themselves. These could affect their stress levels and in a way, their grades; eventually their self-worth. Students need support to succeed in their studies. It is in helping them realize their true potential and assisting them with their difficult work in school, that they develop a sense of self-confidence and therefore develop their self-empowerment in education.”

She added that “Self-empowerment in education is about helping the student build self-love in order to succeed. To help them realize who they are.”

At Central Philippine University, students are given not only the opportunity to air out what they need to express with their teachers or mentors. They are given as well a chance to freely initiate concepts and explain what they need to realize in their proposals or projects.

Delicana teaches “Self- empowerment” to Graduate School students. She emphasizes the essence of freedom of expression. Each student in the virtual classroom is given ample time to prepare presentations, discuss issues and share their experiences. Then, they integrate these with time-tested principles of self-empowerment. What the students relish in the self-empowerment class of Dr. Delicana are the presentations that challenge reality. One cannot simply accept cultural philosophies and norms but challenge them.

Dr. Lilia A. Delicana is a graduate of Doctor of Management in Public Management (DM) in 2005; Master of Arts in Nursing (MAN) in 1998 and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 1966 — all from Central Philippine University.