Emily Sanchez Salcedo, Indiana University Maurer School of Law

Salcedo, a law professor and litigator, traveled all the way from the Philippines after being awarded a Fulbright scholarship and admission into Indiana Law's Doctor of Juridicial Science program, which caters to international law graduates with a LLM degree and extraordinary analytical and research skills. Ultimately, Salcedo, who has a JD from Ateneo De Manila University and had a LLM from San Beda Graduate School of Law, views the SJD as a means of pursuing scholarly research and better serving her students at De La Salle University in Manila.

Upon her arrival, she immediately fell in love with the community. “It's a beautiful place, and the people are warm and friendly.” But beyond the welcoming atmosphere, Salcedo has also been impressed with the educational resources available to students. “The resources that I can access through the IU libraries are overwhelming. Even rare books on early Philippine history that I can hardly find in Manila are available here.”


Through participation in constitutional law courses, Salcedo says that she has gained a greater understanding of the Bill of Rights and its fundamental philosophical principals. She has also been able to establish the many similarities between US and Filipino constitutional patterns, which she has applied to her studies of women's rights.

Salcedo's participation in a seminar on gender and sexuality, further allowed her to develop “close relationships with legal luminaries in the faculty and to share in their knowledge and wisdom.” She credits the law school with providing her access to individuals from many different cultures and providing her with a “greater understanding of the status of women in other countries.”

According to Salcedo, her time at Maurer School of Law has provided her with insight that she would not have access to in the Philippines. “In the Philippines, women are still expected to be submissive, to stay home and prioritize the family. Even if a woman has an outstanding career, she is not considered to be successful unless she can prove to be a good mother as well. I think we still have a long way to go” said Salcedo.

She says that her trip to the US has encouraged her to take on a new challenge that will benefit her professionally and, in turn, allow her to reach more people at home. “The Philippines has a lot of problems- poverty, corruption, political unrest-but when I see the sparkle in my student's eyes, I know there's hope for our country.”