As the founder and creative director of Studio Aorta, Rina brings her experience from working in museums, design firms, architectural firms, and organizations to all projects. Studio Aorta uses a collaborative, storytelling first approach which transforms untold stories into unforgettable experiences for their clients. Rina leads the studio, ensuring that all its work embodies the synergy of narrative, design, and art.

Rina was the first woman in the Philippines to achieve a black belt in the martial art of kendo (full-contact Japanese fencing), fueling her strong, disciplined creative spirit, which she infuses through all her work and creativity. Growing up in the Philippines, she was surrounded by all kinds of art and creativity–always finding ways to explore her creative interests, whether through origami, drawing, writing, or digital tools. Rina is committed to ensuring that the studio promotes and celebrates the diversity, strength, and experience of our interwoven journeys. 

Rina is a Certified Registered Graphic Designer (RGD) and is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the MFA Museum Exhibition Planning and Design program at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She has a Master of Arts in Exhibition Design from the Corcoran College of Art+Design in Washington, DC and a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Culture from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. She speaks English, Filipino, and Japanese fluently.