Waya Gallardo is a writer and former nurse. She took up Creative Writing at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, and has written for theater and film. She won first place in the Fully Booked Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards for comics along with her sister Lala for “The Mad, Sad, but True Adventures of Hikagirl.” She is a survivor of both breast cancer and crushing homesickness, and is glad to be back after six years away in the United States.