 Rubin was born in Angono, Rizal.She finished her Bachelor of Arts degree in Filipino at the University of the Philippines Diliman on 1966 and her Master of Arts in Teaching in 1971.She also held her Doctor of Philosophy degree at the same university, and taught Malikhaing Pagsulat (Creative Writing), Wika at Panitikan (Language and Literature) and Kulturang-bayan (Popular Culture).The year 2008 proved to be not just a celebration of the University's history, but also its brilliance as 41 faculty and alumni are feted in three of the country's most prominent awards.