Student of the World

Delving into history, Nicole CuUnjieng Aboitiz's new book, Asian Place, Filipino Nation is the product of her continuing thirst for knowledge

- Ryanne Stephanie Cheng Co

Is Philippine history important to you? For Nicole CuUnjieng Aboitiz, the answer is a firm yes. Currently a research fellow at Clare Hall at the University of Cambridge, Aboitiz has spent much of her life as a student, and it’s something she reveals she immensely enjoys. “I just want to be a student forever,” she smiles. “And I want to use my brain in a way that is oriented towards my intellectual projects. I have big questions I want to ask of the world, and history was the most natural way to pose them because, for me, it’s tough to understand anything if you don’t understand the history of it.”

Splitting her time between Siargao, Manila and Cambridge in the UK, Aboitiz has found a passion in exploring—and furthering the study of—her native Philippines. Her new book,