Monday, July 28, 2025

Finding the light from darkness

 


When was the darkest moment of your life? How did you overcome that situation? How long have you been in the light? 


Our lives are full of challenges and heartaches. Sometimes we are at the zenith of growth, and afterwards we stumble and fall deep into the ground. At the lowest point in our lives, we thought that there was no hope anymore. 


I remembered the time when I was so down. In 2008, my grandmother died, and I also knew that I was pregnant. I was so ashamed of myself. I just graduated, and I failed my family. I was not able to give them the life they truly deserve. I got married early and had three kids. It wasn't easy to have a family at a young age of 22 years old. I received a lot of judgment from my family and friends. I was a failure. I was ashamed of myself. I was in darkness. 


As I ponder the word of God from the bible, I realize that it gave me hope and meaning. I slowly redeemed myself. I ignored criticisms and harsh judgments from people. I focused on my family. I need to work hard and have some side hustles. I graduated with my master's in 2014. I was promoted to Associate Professor IV with a salary grade of 22 in government service in 2023.  And now, I will graduate with my doctorate abroad on August 29, 2025. After 17 years of struggle, I was slowly seeing the light.


From darkness to light, only God gave me the right direction. There are times when I doubt myself about whether I can do enormous things. But I never doubted the power of God to do marvelous things in my life. I was able to find meaning and purpose with the Lord. I read His word, meditate on it daily, and apply it. 

You could redeem yourself from darkness and experience the infinite light from above. It is never too late to find the light you want. The answer is Jesus Christ! Accept Him as your Lord and Savior, and you will experience the true meaning of life!

Sunday, July 27, 2025

CCF South Korea Women Discipleship Weekly Online Meeting

 



Monday, July 21, 2025

Road to PhD Graduation: We already submitted our Dissertation Copies at the Library

With my Fellow HEAT Program PhD Scholars



With my fellow Pinoy Scholars


Me at the Kangwon National University Central Library 



2025 Econometric Society Asian Summer School in Econometrics and Statistics , July 14-20, 2025, at Xiamen University, China

The Econometric Society has organized the 2025 Asian Summer School in Econometrics and Statistics  at Xiamen University, Xiamen, China, last July 14-20, 2025. The Summer School is a collaborative effort by the following prestigious institutions: 

  • Paula and Gregory Chow Institute for Studies in Economics, Xiamen University
  • Center for Forecasting Science, Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • School of Economics and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Institute for Advanced Economic Research, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics

The program is primarily aimed at young faculty members and Ph.D. students in related fields. Lectures was held in person.

Invited Speakers (in Alphabetical Order)

• Jiancheng Jiang, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

• Vadim Marmer, University of British Columbia


• Hyungsik Roger Moon, University of Southern California Dornsife












• Whitney Newey, Massachusetts Institute of Technology














• Shuping Shi, Macquarie University









• Zhijie Xiao, Boston College










• Cindy Yu, Iowa State University









All lectures were conducted in English. The topics covered , time series econometrics, panel data analysis, machine learning, and causal inference. In addition to the lectures, workshops were organized, where a selected group of students presented their research in English.


Day 1 - July 14, 2025

Introduction to Debiased Machine Learning  by Prof. Whitney Newey, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Functional Dependence and Functional Time Series Analysis by Prof. Zhijie Xiao, Boston College



Day 2 - July 15, 2025

Introduction to Debiased Machine Learning  by Prof. Whitney Newey, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Functional Dependence and Functional Time Series Analysis by Prof. Zhijie Xiao, Boston College



Day 3 - July 16, 2025

Causal Inference as a Missing Data Problem: Foundations and Extensions by Prof. Cindy Yu, Iowa State University






Day 4 - July 17, 2025





Day 5 - July 18, 2025




Day 6 - July 19, 2025

My first international summer school at Xiamen University, China

I was fortunate to be accepted at the 2025 Econometrics Society Asian Summer School of Econometrics and Statistics. I am grateful for the support of my Supervisors, Prof. Yoonsuk Lee and the Higher Education for ASEAN Talent (HEAT) Program for sponsoring my trip.