She will be handling two sections in her sport this semester.
On Wednesday, January 20, first Filipina Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo marked another chapter in her athletic career as she officially started her role as instructor at the College of Human Kinetics (CHK) of the University of the Philippines – Diliman (UPD).
In a post of columnist and manager Noel Ferrer, he revealed that the Olympian felt nervous on her first day, who told him: “Kinakabahan ako Sir, pero masaya ako at nagagawa ko ito. It’s giving me a better sense of purpose.”
“Para sa akin, ang pagtuturo at pagbabahagi ng aking kaalaman at kasanayan sa weightlifting sa mga estudyante ng UP ay isang paraan ng pagbibigay pabalik sa bayan,” she also shared why she decided to take on the role as instructor.
Meanwhile, to prepare for her role, Diaz-Naranjo attended the Teaching Effectiveness Course (TEC) from January 12 to 15 at the UP Diliman School of Economics, which aims to assist new UPD faculty members and teaching assistants who want to enhance their teaching abilities.
As a first time CHK lecturer, she expressed, “Good thing na naka-attend ako nitong TEC. Nagkaroon ako ng idea kung paano iyong magiging approach ko sa pag-handle ng class.“
According to UPD, Diaz-Naranjo will handle two PE 2 sections in weightlifting this second semester of AY 2025-2026.
Prior to this, the “her-story”-maker had already partnered with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2025 under the grassroots sports development program in schools, which aimed to raise the next generation of athletes in the country.