Dr.

Santiago is one of our country's most academically talented leaders in

history. She graduated from the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor of Arts,
magna cum laude, and a Bachelor of Laws, cum laude. She studied at the University
of Michigan, one of the top three legal schools in the United States, and received her
Master of Laws and Doctor of Juridical Science degrees. At Maryhill School of
Theology, she completed the academic requirements for the Master of Arts in
Religious Studies degree.
The perfect grade in U.P. is 1.0. Dr. Santiago received a near-perfect 1.1 average
grade in her final undergraduate semester. She also completed her four-year program
in just three and a half years. She was a Barbour Scholar and a DeWitt Fellow at the
University of Michigan. Her master's degree took her a year to complete, while her
doctorate took her only six months. She also completed postdoctoral studies at Oxford
University, Cambridge University, Harvard University, University of California at
Berkeley, Stanford University, and the Academy of Public International Law at The
Hague's Peace Palace (the seat of the International Court of Justice).
Dr. Santiago was class valedictorian at all levels – elementary, high school, and
college. She made history in U.P. when she became the first female editor-in-chief of
the famous student newspaper, Philippine Collegian, thus shattering a 50-year-old
record of male dominance. She won as Best Debater in the annual U.P. law debate,
where she was captain of the winning team. It is interesting that at the same time she
held a campus beauty title, not once but twice – as ROTC corps sponsor.