A secret talent strides into the spotlight-Faces of Immigration

Her long, elegant fingers dance across the computer keyboard throughout the day. At night, though, the music and magic begins.

Leonila Baier is one of those secret talents who works hard and humbly all day as the administrative assistant to Dean Donna Arnold of the School of Arts and Communication. When evening falls she is an accomplished classical pianist.

Baier was the breakout star of this year's Faculty and Staff Concert, stunning the audience with virtuoso performances of Beethoven, Chopin and Ginastera. Hard-working, humble office manager exposed.

Her parents fled the Fuchien Province of China in the early 1950s. Devout Christians, they fled the oppression of Communism.

They created that life in Baguio City, in the Philippines province of Northern Luzon. Baier was born and raised there.

Growing up, Baier had to tackle several languages. She learned the Fuchien dialect of Chinese at home, the native tongue of her parents. After school for 12 years she studied the Mandarin dialect. Living in the Philippines made her fluent in Tagalog and Ilocano.

All of her classes from elementary to collegiate were in English.

Baier's favorite language—the language of music—is spoken through her fingers and the ivory keys.

Learning piano at an early age she took lessons as long as she could. She said the moment came when her parents could not afford the lessons any more.

"I loved piano as a child," she said. "But it got to the time when I could not pursue it any longer."

Things have changed radically for Baier since then. As an adult, her life is filled with a family, career, classes and performances. Lighting upon new inspiration, the past several years she rededicated her love of the piano accelerando.

"My son inspired me to go back to the piano," she said. "It is good to have talent and his is great. I thought if I continued learning, playing and performing, it would encourage him to continue his studies."

A long odyssey led Baier to SWC. With a temporary visa and a BA in Literature in hand, she left the Philippines in 1987 to marry her fiancÈ in America. They had met at her local nondenominational Christian church that promoted intercontinental fellowship.

Required to marry within three months, she arrived in October and married in December. She said that culturally, things were much different here than she expected. Growing up speaking English, she was not prepared for the dissimilarity of the language.

"There are so many ways that English is spoken as compared to the Philippines," she said. "So many complexities, even in something as simple as a joke. Many jokes require the cultural background of America to understand."

Baier said her husband was very patient with her and would wait while she went shopping. It took her an hour or two to go through the supermarket, looking and learning about all the food that she did not have growing up in Baguio City.

"Of course, here in the U.S., there are so many more choices in everything," she said. "I mean, how many cereals do you really need?"

During her first trip to Fashion Valley mall, her husband only laughed at her excitement in seeing a sale sign in the window of one of the stores.

"I quickly learned that ‘sale' in the U.S. does not mean the same as elsewhere," she said. "The transition took some time, even today I am still learning."

Chula Vista is her home and November 2010 will mark Baier's 18th year at SWC. Baier worked for the School of Business and Information Systems for 11 years, beginning as a clerical assistant. After an eight-month position with Math, Science and Engineering, she returned to Business and Information as an administrative secretary.

With recent reorganization of the School of Business, Baier was promoted to her position in Arts and Communications in July 2009.

"I feel blessed to be in the environment of the Arts and Communications school," said Baier. "I feel very connected. I am surrounded by music, art and teachers that have doctorate degrees."

Through the years, Baier has taken various classes to improve her professional status and wage. Continuing with her music she is now taking Music 125, Applied Music.

Professor of Music Dr. Jorge Pastrana discovered Baier's talent quite unexpectedly passing a rehearsal room.

"I remember walking by the music room one day," said Pastrana. "And I heard classical music being played, like Chopin. This was very unusual to me.

You don't hear that around here very often, especially considering we do not have a full time piano teacher."

Pastrana invited her to take his Applied Music class, designed to get musical artists of all instruments to play together and give them the tools to overcome stage fright. He said that Baier's eyes lit up when he said that and admitted how difficult it was for her to perform.

"Then this is the class for you," he said. "We cover all aspects to teach you to be a better performer, how to get ready for it and get over the sweat. This can be done. It is a process of time and control."

Baier said she loves the class and has already gained tremendous confidence in taking it.

"We have the best here at SWC," she said. "Dr. Pastrana is my mentor. He really knows how to bring out the best in your abilities. He is such an inspiration."

Pastrana said he has gotten to know Baier better with her recent position in his department and that she is very serious about music and works hard. She has performed twice this semester, at the Faculty Staff Concert and the Student Honors Concert on Cinco de Mayo.