VIA Times Filipino American Lifestyle and Culture in the Greater Chicago Area
Born of city schoolteachers, Menchee, as she is fondly called by her friends, was valedictorian at Paco Catholic Elementary and High School. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, cum laude from the University of the Philippines, a Masters in Education (Guidance and Counseling) from the University of San Francisco, and received her Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education from the New York University.
Dr. Fulgado has an extensive and impressive career in counseling and education in New York. She was a Counselor with the New York City Orientation Program for the Youth, Counselor then Founding Director of the Office of Student Financial Aid at York College of the City University, Assistant Dean of Student and Director of Financial Aid at Malcolm King College, and Assistant Director of Student Financial Aid at St. John’s University. At St. John’s University, Dr. Fulgado was also an Adjunct Professor who taught Freshman Orientation, Psychology 101, and Developmental Psychology. She has written several education columns in Filipino newspapers published in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Hawaii.
Dr. Fulgado has been passionate and committed to fostering education and giving back to the community. While still in Manhattan on maternity leave, in the Summer of 1976, she, with another Filipina mother of the parish, organized and conducted a Philippine Culture Workshop for children of Filipino Americans “Pamana ng Lahi” at the Epiphany Church. The 10-week program, conducted in English-Tagalog, covered from history, culture and traditions to songs, dances, and games. The following year, the family moved to Jamaica Estates, Queens, NY and in no time founded the Philippines American Association of the Immaculate Conception with a tri-part purpose: help the school, lay ministry in the Church, and while doing so, promote Philippine culture in the parish. During summers, a Philippine culture and dance workshop for Filipino children and their friends. During trips to her native land, Dr Fulgado serves as resource speaker in her Alma Mater and the Manila Tytana Colleges on her expertise such as Life Choices and Decision-Making, Strategies in Balancing Family and Career, and Financing College Education, and fundraising for scholarships.
She, to date, remains to be the only President of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association in America (UPAAA) who served for two consecutive terms. Thereafter, she “revived” the New York alumni chapter. Dr. Fulgado’s mantra, “It’s in giving that we receive,” is exemplified in the signature project of the UPAA-NY, Memories. Memories is a series of coffee table books which debuted in 2008: Memoirs of UP Alumni Abroad. The success of the first book initiated Book 2: Memories…a Legacy Gift of Filipinos and Friends. Book 3: Memories of UP Alumni and Friends United is in the works with an open invitation to all for their story to be published, support scholars, plus have a copy of the book, their family will treasure for generations. Book 1 brought a Deed of Donation (DOD) of $50,000 and Book 2 another $50,000. Reinvesting previous DODs, the UP Alumni Quesada Fulgado Friends Scholarship Fund now has $168,000 which uses only the interest earned for scholarships. To date, 24 students have received scholarships and graduated. Currently, there is a scholar in each of the eight Constituent Universities of UP: Diliman, Manila, Los Baños, UP OnLine, Baguio, Visayas, Mindanao and UPCebu College.
Dr. Fulgado left an educational legacy at St. John’s University with the Quesada-Fulgado Anniversary Scholarship Fund for Students of Filipino heritage. She also organized with former classmates from Paco Catholic School Class of 1957 Giving from the Heart fundraisers and together donated a total of Php150,000. In 2003, on the land that she and her sister, Nora Q. Catiis, donated to their late father’s hometown of Paete, Laguna, The Poten and Eliseo Quesada Memorial National High School became the first public high school in the town, and remains the only one. Since then, The Poten School, as nicknamed by the Department of Education (DOE) is the only school with a special curriculum on wood carving and is in the top 20 high schools in Laguna. With nearly 2000 students an expansion is necessary. The DOE will build them one nearby the main building. A building erected on another land donated by Dr. Fulgado and her sister was just inaugurated and named Poten and Eliseo Quesada Senior Center in June 2016. An arrangement is now being made by Dr. Fulgado with UP Los Baños to “adopt” the Senior Center in their senior outreach program.
On a personal note on Dr. Fulgado’s “Giving”, for the last two decades, usually around September 25th, her birthday, she has her hair cut 10-12 inches and donates it to Locks of Love, a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from hair loss.
Dr. Fulgado is a model of one who made it and has it all. She gives her all in balancing family, career and the joy of giving. She is married to Dr. Leonardo “Ding” T. Fulgado, MD for 48 years this September 7, 2016. They have five children: Len, AJ, Maricar-Joy, Mia, and PJ. Joy’s twin, Marilen-Trish, is in heaven. AJ, Mia and PJ are married. Drs. Menchee and Ding have 2 grandchildren, Patricia-Ann and Guy Alexander. Dr. Menchee plans to “re-wire” in their Florida home and looks forward to continuing the practice of counselor education, this time, with her senior contemporaries.
