PROFILE /
TEACHING WITHOUT BORDERS LEANNE LIM |
D.MM.2011
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For someone who is not big on drawing up plans, Milagros Rivera has come a long way from her Puerto Rican hometown to become chair of the National University of Singapore’s Communications and New Media Department. Rivera openly declares, “I just stumbled my way through everything… and it all worked out.”
This spontaneous attitude to life is what brought Rivera to places all over the world. She has stepped into more than 40 countries, and has immigrated to three cities – Florida, Indiana and Singapore. In fact, many CNM students are familiar with Rivera’s travels, as she often shares her travel photos when introducing herself in lectures.
Having seen the sights and sounds of many cultures, one is inclined to assume that travelling is a childhood dream come true for Rivera. This, however, is far from the truth. Growing up in Bayamon, a small Puerto Rican town, Rivera recounts a rural childhood of milking cows and running through sugar cane fields. “It was a great childhood,” she reminisces, “but I came from such a tiny town that I didn’t know anything beyond that.”
Rivera’s passion for travelling was sparked during a three-month stint in Chile in 2001, when she received a Fulbright research scholarship. Chile’s laidback culture allowed for many free weekends, and Rivera made the most of her leisure time by splurging on short getaways around the region. She had caught the travel bug, eventually leaving Chile with a mere 20 pesos in her pocket.
As Rivera regales her travel tales, one standout is a trip to India in 2010 which left her scarred – literally. With one drunk driver on the wrong side of the road and Rivera’s driver constantly on his phone, the full speed collision seemed bound to occur. Rivera eventually received 33 stitches to her head – “without anaesthesia!” she adds.
Although Rivera enjoys experiencing different cultures, one exception was the city of Bloomington, Indiana. Accustomed to multiculturalism in Puerto Rico and Florida, where she completed her master’s degree and doctorate, Rivera could not get used to the “sea of blonde hair” in Indiana. “I missed the diversity, and I didn’t realise how important that was until I didn’t have it,” she says.
Rivera was desperate to leave Indiana, and a chance conversation with an ex-colleague led her to visit Singapore. The trip won her over, and she made the decision to relocate with little more than the guarantee of a yearlong fellowship at NUS. After donating all her furniture to the local women’s shelter, Rivera took off and moved halfway around the world. “You know the Fool in tarot cards? That was me, jumping off not caring whether or not there was a net at the bottom!” Rivera delightfully declares.
What was an impulse decision to spend a year in Singapore has since become a nine-year stay. After becoming chair of CNM in 2004, Rivera has revamped the curriculum, adding in two new streams of communication management and interactive media. More recently in July 2011, CNM has been accorded a full department status. While Rivera is quick to attribute CNM’s achievements as a collective effort of all staff, Deputy Head of CNM Lim Sun Sun highlights Rivera’s contributions. Lim, who has been Rivera’s colleague for nine years, attests that “CNM would not be the department it is today” if not for Rivera’s “strong and passionate leadership” and “bold vision”.
Apart from tributes from her fellow colleagues, Rivera has also struck a chord with many of her students. It is arguably her self-proclaimed style of just being herself which encourages students to warm up to her. One such student is Melissa Wang, who took a freshman seminar class, “Sex, Gender and Media”, by Rivera. “Dr Millie is very friendly and approachable which really makes learning under her more personal,” Wang affirms, also calling Rivera a “true educator” who not only prompts students to generate their own ideas, but also challenges their existing views.
Rivera’s relationship with her students goes beyond academia. With the belief that living abroad expands one’s mind, Rivera offers assistance to students with this same desire. For Wang, Rivera’s help came in the form of a testimonial for an exchange program to New Zealand, as well as a $300 donation for a Youth Expedition Project in Laos.
So which country will be stamped next in Rivera’s passport, and what future plans does she have? Judging by her journey thus far, Rivera’s answer is unlikely to take anyone by surprise. “I have zero plans,” she says, “Whatever comes up, I just say ‘Okay, I’ll do it’!” One thing however, is certain. Whatever it takes, Rivera plans to continue travelling the world, which she sums up as a “wonderful and beautiful place”.
This spontaneous attitude to life is what brought Rivera to places all over the world. She has stepped into more than 40 countries, and has immigrated to three cities – Florida, Indiana and Singapore. In fact, many CNM students are familiar with Rivera’s travels, as she often shares her travel photos when introducing herself in lectures.
Having seen the sights and sounds of many cultures, one is inclined to assume that travelling is a childhood dream come true for Rivera. This, however, is far from the truth. Growing up in Bayamon, a small Puerto Rican town, Rivera recounts a rural childhood of milking cows and running through sugar cane fields. “It was a great childhood,” she reminisces, “but I came from such a tiny town that I didn’t know anything beyond that.”
Rivera’s passion for travelling was sparked during a three-month stint in Chile in 2001, when she received a Fulbright research scholarship. Chile’s laidback culture allowed for many free weekends, and Rivera made the most of her leisure time by splurging on short getaways around the region. She had caught the travel bug, eventually leaving Chile with a mere 20 pesos in her pocket.
As Rivera regales her travel tales, one standout is a trip to India in 2010 which left her scarred – literally. With one drunk driver on the wrong side of the road and Rivera’s driver constantly on his phone, the full speed collision seemed bound to occur. Rivera eventually received 33 stitches to her head – “without anaesthesia!” she adds.
Although Rivera enjoys experiencing different cultures, one exception was the city of Bloomington, Indiana. Accustomed to multiculturalism in Puerto Rico and Florida, where she completed her master’s degree and doctorate, Rivera could not get used to the “sea of blonde hair” in Indiana. “I missed the diversity, and I didn’t realise how important that was until I didn’t have it,” she says.
Rivera was desperate to leave Indiana, and a chance conversation with an ex-colleague led her to visit Singapore. The trip won her over, and she made the decision to relocate with little more than the guarantee of a yearlong fellowship at NUS. After donating all her furniture to the local women’s shelter, Rivera took off and moved halfway around the world. “You know the Fool in tarot cards? That was me, jumping off not caring whether or not there was a net at the bottom!” Rivera delightfully declares.
What was an impulse decision to spend a year in Singapore has since become a nine-year stay. After becoming chair of CNM in 2004, Rivera has revamped the curriculum, adding in two new streams of communication management and interactive media. More recently in July 2011, CNM has been accorded a full department status. While Rivera is quick to attribute CNM’s achievements as a collective effort of all staff, Deputy Head of CNM Lim Sun Sun highlights Rivera’s contributions. Lim, who has been Rivera’s colleague for nine years, attests that “CNM would not be the department it is today” if not for Rivera’s “strong and passionate leadership” and “bold vision”.
Apart from tributes from her fellow colleagues, Rivera has also struck a chord with many of her students. It is arguably her self-proclaimed style of just being herself which encourages students to warm up to her. One such student is Melissa Wang, who took a freshman seminar class, “Sex, Gender and Media”, by Rivera. “Dr Millie is very friendly and approachable which really makes learning under her more personal,” Wang affirms, also calling Rivera a “true educator” who not only prompts students to generate their own ideas, but also challenges their existing views.
Rivera’s relationship with her students goes beyond academia. With the belief that living abroad expands one’s mind, Rivera offers assistance to students with this same desire. For Wang, Rivera’s help came in the form of a testimonial for an exchange program to New Zealand, as well as a $300 donation for a Youth Expedition Project in Laos.
So which country will be stamped next in Rivera’s passport, and what future plans does she have? Judging by her journey thus far, Rivera’s answer is unlikely to take anyone by surprise. “I have zero plans,” she says, “Whatever comes up, I just say ‘Okay, I’ll do it’!” One thing however, is certain. Whatever it takes, Rivera plans to continue travelling the world, which she sums up as a “wonderful and beautiful place”.