Dr. Ma. Stella Flordeliz-Lezama

She grew up spending her elementary and high school years in a school in Cebu that was exclusively for girls. She developed a sense of obedience to her teachers who were nuns. But when it was time for her to leave home for college, she was headstrong in venturing into a non-sectorian setting that her former mentors were quite vocal against.

Dr. Ma. Stella Flordeliz-Lezama is the OIC Dean of the College of Business Administration. Soft-spoken and charming, one can't help but notice her pass by the corridors of the building with her regal poise. She can be an epitome of grace, beauty and brains rolled in one.

A professor of entrepreneurship and a businesswoman, Stella traces her roots to Tanjay City. She spent most of her years though in Cebu, and considers herself more of a Cebuana than a Negrense.

Stella shares that after high school, she wanted to take up occupational therapy. Her father was, however, insistent on a different course. She followed her father's wish and pursued the degree of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman.

She recalls that upon learning of her choice of school, the nuns in her high school discouraged her.

“You’re all going to hell,” Stella remembers being told by them. 

While she respected and had a high regard for her mentors, their comment didn't get in the way of her plans. She proceeded to UP and there, she realized how college life offered an enriching experience for her outside what she was accustomed to. She continued being involved in student activities, as she was in her high school in Cebu. But what set her college experience apart was her being able to play the guitar more often than what she had imagined.

“I was part of a female trio back then; I played the guitar. The best part was we were paid whenever we performed,” Stella shares. “It’s good to be involved, so be involved while you’re young.” 

Following her graduation from college, she went back to Cebu. There, she finished her Master of Business Administration and Doctor of Management in 1987 and 1991, respectively.

It was also after finishing her undergraduate degree that she decided to settle down. Stella married Samuel, a Sillimanian. It was her husband's desire for them to relocate to Dumaguete and build their family here. At that time, Stella was managing her own garments business and was supplying for department stores in Cebu and Bacolod. But her passion as a wife and mother prevailed.

When they transferred to Dumaguete, her husband, who is a businessman, encouraged her to apply to Silliman University. It was by coincidence that at that time she submitted her application, the College of Business Administration was in need of a teacher who had an actu*]}*al business experience.