Born in Egypt to diplomat parents, Filipina Cindy Nuguit has been on the move as far back as she could remember. She did her primary school in Israel and finished secondary school in Saudi Arabia. This exposure to different cultures helped Cindy develop an openness to other cultures, mindsets and lifestyles.
All throughout her growing years, Cindy's parents did not fail to teach her the values and traditions of their country of origin, the Philippines. When the time came for her to do university studies, she decided she was going to put down roots in her native land.
Scouting for a university was conditioned mostly by her passion for art and the humanities. She was attracted to the humanistic course offerings at University of Asia and the Pacific. Perhaps unconsciously influenced by her parents’ career, she signed up for the University's Political Economy program. She pursued her studies with relish while, on the side, continuing to cultivate her first love, art.
On the first day of her Theology class, the priest professor showed them a video of a get-together with St. Josemaria, the founder of Opus Dei. She did not know why, but that session filled her with inexplicable happiness. Though baptized, she had never been much of a practicing Catholic. The things she heard from St Josemaria about the spiritual life made a deep impression on her, in particular, his message about loving all persons regardless of race and religion. This struck a deep chord because of her having grown up in a multi-cultural environment.
From then on, St. Josemaria would play a significant role in her life. Shortly after, a friend told her about Balanghai Study Center for girls, a Center of Opus Dei in the vicinity the university. She went for spiritual direction with a priest in the Center, who happened to be her Theology professor. This wrought a significant turn in her life. She felt moved to know more about God, the faith and herself. She attended more activities, and more importantly, she soaked herself in the teachings of St. Josemaria. She especially loved the book "The Way" because she felt that the ideas presented were things any man or woman could appreciate. They had a universal touch that could appeal and be relevant to any ordinary person.
Her devotion to the founder of Opus Dei found a new outlet after her graduation from the University, and she is pursuing her first love, which is art. Steeped into typography, lettering and calligraphy, she began doing simple artworks featuring quotes from St. Josemaria, among other authors. Her conviction about the universal appeal of his message was confirmed when a renowned coffee shop contracted her services and featured her artworks, which had these quotes on their website and even in their stores, as part of visual merchandising.
A universal heart. That is what she learned from St Josemaria. And that is the message she tries to spread with her art.