So it was written in the 1987 college yearbook entry of Queena N. Lee-Chua, PhD, who succumbed to pelvic floor functional disorder in her sleep on Nov. 26, 2025.
An alumna of the Ateneo de Manila University — BS Mathematics, summa cum laude (1987); MA Counseling Psychology (1992); PhD Clinical Psychology (1995) — where she was a professor for over three decades.
The words used to describe Lee-Chua offered a glimpse of who she would become—analytical yet deeply well-rounded, deftly balancing left- and right-brain strengths as an academic, book author, and newspaper columnist.
Further described as sensitive, forthright, and practical, it was also written of her that “her humility is legendary, and friends always know whom to turn to for help — whether it be an agile mind, a sympathetic ear, or the proverbial shoulder to cry on.”
With her untimely passing at age 59, tributes and reminiscences have since flooded social media, honoring her multi-faceted contributions across various fields.
Demystifying mathematics
Arguably one of Queena Lee-Chua’s most enduring and impactful legacies is that of an educator who made mathematics less intimidating.
“She was my teacher for a few weeks in freshman Calculus, substituting for the late great Dr. Jose Marasigan,” wrote Jo-Ed Tirol on Facebook.
“Although I confess I barely understood what she was trying to explain at top speed, I did admire her breadth of knowledge and the passion with which she delivered each lecture.”
“Her columns and writing made complex ideas accessible and meaningful to everyday life,” shared ChinoyTV.
Said the Mind Museum: “She inspired a generation of Filipinos about not only the usefulness of mathematics but also its beauty — one that can inspire people to discover the joys of learning.”
“Throughout her remarkable and purpose-driven life,” the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) noted, “she championed Filipino mathematics and psychology — believing deeply in the transformative power of research, education, and knowledge to uplift communities and advance national development.”
According to MENSA Philippines, “She was a firm believer that learning should be fun and presented in a simpler, more understandable language.”
Mathematics as a major
As revealed in the 2011 issue of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) newsletter of UNESCO, Queena Lee explained that her choice in college was between mathematics and the arts, as she was also very much into writing and reading.
However, a counselor advised her: “If you want to write, you don’t need a degree to do it. But if you want to go deep into maths, then you probably need expert guidance.”
Math also served as a refuge from the tumultuous era of the early 1980s. Involved in the political movement, she longed for something more stable.
“We were campaigning for many things, and I was part of that. But I didn’t want to pursue studies in fields like political theory or economics, which seemed just as confusing as the world around me. In mathematics, there are definitive proofs and answers. It provided an academic and personal refuge,” Lee-Chua recalled.
She also shared that although she was offered scholarships to pursue higher studies in the United States, her protective Chinese-Filipino family discouraged her from going abroad.
“I’m the eldest, and they told me that if I were to go to the US for graduate studies, there was a good chance that I would never come back,” she said. “They were probably right.”
Becoming a teacher
In April 2015, as commencement speaker for the University of Makati’s College of Education, Lee-Chua delved into the realities facing teachers and the education system.
“Education, every politician will tell you, is very important,” she said. “But why is it we have to fight for our budget? Why is it that teachers are not paid well? [Because] society doesn’t walk the talk, because society feels that good people go into finance, business... the rest, magturo ka na lang kasi ‘yan lang magagawa mo. That is so wrong… so insulting.”
Emphasizing that “it is up to us to enhance the dignity of the teaching profession,” she reminded the graduates that “we have to do things sometimes that we do not like for a nobler cause” and that “knowledge means keeping up to date with the topics.” (For the latter, she stressed that lesson plans must not be 10 years old)
Knowledge and love
Citing role model Jaime Escalante — the Bolivian-American educator who inspired the 1988 film “Stand and Deliver” — Lee-Chua said that to be an effective teacher, one must keep two things in mind and heart: knowledge and love.
“Love is not an emotion. Love is not a feeling. Love is a decision… a choice,” she said. “I became a teacher because I choose to love my students. Love means having high expectations of my students — and making sure I do my best to help them meet those expectations.”
She added that having high expectations without teaching well makes one “a terror teacher,” and such a teacher will only be feared.
Writing on family businesses
That Lee-Chua eventually wrote about family businesses — a seeming deviation from her academic training — was no surprise. She authored “Successful Family Businesses: Dynamics of Five Filipino Business Families” and “All in the Family Business: Columns from the Philippine Daily Inquirer,” and served on the board of Ateneo’s Family Business Center.
According to her cousin, William Lim Jr., executive vice-president of the Anvil Business Club, where she was a co-founder, Queena was a great-great-granddaughter of Dy Han Kia, a 19th-century Philippine pioneer lumber entrepreneur, philanthropist, and Chinese immigrant. (Another descendant of Dy Han Kia is Michelle Dee, Miss Universe Philippines 2023.)
“Yet to me,” Lim Jr. wrote, “she was simply family and also a good friend: a brilliant star in our shared sky.”
Mathew Eli Baluran of the Manila Standard noted her view that “a business could succeed or fall for many reasons, one of which is family.” Quoting Lee-Chua further, he wrote, “One of family businesses’ most sensitive issues is succession.”
Meanwhile, in her Sept. 25, 2025 Inquirer article, Lee-Chua lamented that “we are used to dirty laundry being often aired in politics. It is disappointing when the same thing happens in family businesses.”
“This is a book which will teach you practical lessons on managing a business,” wrote Sandy Prieto-Romualdez, president & CEO of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, on All in the Family Business. “It offers a wealth of ideas on how families can strategize to propel the business, maximize the potential of people, and use socio-cultural values to deepen loyalty and malasakit.”
On the Filipino family and psychology
Although her body of work spans math, science, learning, and business, she also wrote on the subject of psychology.
In “The Filipino Family Surviving the World: Essays on the Family,” which she co-authored with Dr. Ma. Lourdes “Honey” A. Carandang, the focus is on the many challenges Filipino families face today. The book discusses the impact of these developments on parents, teens, and children, while suggesting ways to cope with change.
“To rebuild our nation, we need to start taking care of the family,” states the book’s synopsis. “Parents, teachers, counselors today have a great responsibility — to develop their children’s potential, to ensure that children become healthy emotionally, socially, and morally. This book equips everyone with the knowledge and tools to deal with transitions, trauma, and other stressors.”
Awards and accolades
While quoted as saying that “you don’t go looking for awards” and that if “you try to get them, you won’t get them,” Queena Lee-Chua nevertheless received numerous distinctions. Among them were:
The Outstanding Young Men and Women (TOYM) Award
The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) Award
The Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Teacher Award
DOST’s Great Men and Women of Science
Outstanding Young Scientist
Multiple National Book Awards
Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards
Catholic Mass Media Awards
Queena Lee-Chua was born on April 13, 1966. Before giving birth to her son and only child, Scott, she belatedly learned that there were 15 tumors in her uterus, which doctors eventually had to remove. As much as she wanted a second child with her husband, Smith, it was no longer possible.
“She loved her family, her parents most especially,” shared Karina Bolasco, former head of Anvil Publishing that published most of Queena Lee-Chua’s books.
“She is not really gone too soon, for she has accomplished so much more than other longer lifetimes have, or ever would…Rest now, Queens. The multitude you influenced and touched will carry on.”
Features Reporter
