Educator awarded Gusi Peace Prize
Dr. Caroline Marian Enriquez, president of Our Lady of Fatima University (OLFU), was hailed as one of the distinguished laureates of the Gusi Peace Prize International for 2019.
Enriquez was awarded with the Gusi Peace Prize because of her exemplary and visionary leadership in the academe as a prime mover toward a more innovative and globally recognized Philippine education system, and for her significant efforts toward the attainment of peace in society.
In the glittering awards rites held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, Enriquez humbly accepted the award together with 18 other laureates from around the world, mostly politicians, diplomats, physicians and acknowledged global leaders. Aside from Enriquez, the other Filipino Gusi Peace Prize laureate is Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, mayor of the City of Manila.
The other 2019 Gusi Peace Prize Laureates are Justice Ignacio Mahiques (Argentina), Amb. Patrick De Beyter (Belgium), Dr. Bernhard Sabel (Germany), Dr. Trevor Gibbs (Great Britain), Dr. Mark Berelowitz (Great Britain), Prof. Jeffrey Levett (Greece), Amb. Mario Bucaro (Guatemala), Dr. Dinesh Sharma (India), Edward Khoo (Malaysia), Dr. John Cook (New Zealand), Farhan Wilayat Butt (Pakistan), Margarita Parshukova (Russia), former President Kgalema Motlanthe (South Africa), MCV Maphalala (Swaziland), Senator Teerakiat Jareonsettasin (Thailand), Dr. Burak Küntay (Turkey), and Dr. Gary Dunbar (USA).
In her acceptance speech, Enriquez pointed to OLFU as the pillar of her aspirations and vision for the young generation. “They (OLFU) have supported me in everything that I have been doing for the sake of educating the Filipino youth. For and in behalf of all the students, old and young alike, please consider education as a catalyst for improving your lives,” she said.
“My whole life has been dedicated to education, and I believe that this is one way of transforming lives, as well as contributing to nation-building,” added the esteemed educator.
Enriquez is no stranger when it comes to leading the pursuit of excellence in education and uplifting the lives of students and individuals in society. She is the current president of the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU) and was also bestowed with an Education Leadership Award by the Asian Confederation of Businesses (ACB) and CMO Asia for “excellence in application of leadership principles to business situations.” The Friends for Cultural Concerns of the Philippines (FCCP) also lauded Enriquez as a Distinguished Leader of the Academe for her efforts in furthering Filipino culture and arts in the young.
She was also instrumental in the continuing expansion efforts of OLFU. Last August, Enriquez led the way in affirming OLFU’s commitment to better and world-class education for Filipino students with the inauguration of the Research, Innovation, Science and Enterprise Tower, or simply the “RISE” Tower located in Marulas, Valenzuela City.