Filipino Harvard Law grad feels 'fulfilled, accomplished'
Published Jun 2, 2020 12:00 am
By Gabriela Baron
A young Filipino lawyer said he still feels "fulfilled" and "accomplished" to graduate from Harvard Law School even if he attended a virtual commencement ceremony in Massachusetts.
(Photo courtesy of Anjo David)
" Dean of Harvard Law School promised that we would have an in-person commencement in the future. It was not the ceremony that we anticipated but I was able to celebrate with my relatives and closest friends from school," Jose Angelo David told Manila Bulletin.
Obtaining a Harvard master's degree in law is "exhilarating," but David said there was a "heightened sense of fulfillment" having to accomplish it in the middle of a pandemic.
Harvard University shifted to online classes and closed all of its school buildings in March, but David still had to fulfill the same academic requirements.
David shared that his research paper focused on the history and development of judicial review in the Philippines from American colonial period to the current 1987 constitution.
"I naturally felt relieved when I turned in my 120-page research paper by the deadline in mid-May as it was the product of a year's work," he added.
David, a Filipino lawyer currently serves as a government counsel. He also teaches law in San Beda University and Far Eastern University.
"I owe it to our client government agencies, the public I serve, and my students to continuously improve my advocacy skills and deepen my legal knowledge. Harvard has a doctorate degree program in law. One reason why I did extensive work on my research paper is to prove myself that I can engage in more advanced legal studies," he said.
David has been in the United States since August 2019 after successfully receiving financial grants from Harvard.
"This is the longest that I have been abroad and away from family, and while there were some difficulties getting used to a new environment during the first few weeks, there was never a time that I felt lonely," he said.
David said that he makes sure to keep contact with his family in the Philippines. He also thanked their relatives in Massachusetts and his friends who supported his journey and helped him when he felt "emotionally drained" when his grandmother passed away in February and dormitories in Harvard closed due to the pandemic.
"All these entailed changes to our living arrangements, disruption to our academic work, and emotional adjustments. I was able to cope well with the help of my family and the company of my closest friends," he ended.
(Photo courtesy of Anjo David)
" Dean of Harvard Law School promised that we would have an in-person commencement in the future. It was not the ceremony that we anticipated but I was able to celebrate with my relatives and closest friends from school," Jose Angelo David told Manila Bulletin.
Obtaining a Harvard master's degree in law is "exhilarating," but David said there was a "heightened sense of fulfillment" having to accomplish it in the middle of a pandemic.
Harvard University shifted to online classes and closed all of its school buildings in March, but David still had to fulfill the same academic requirements.
David shared that his research paper focused on the history and development of judicial review in the Philippines from American colonial period to the current 1987 constitution.
"I naturally felt relieved when I turned in my 120-page research paper by the deadline in mid-May as it was the product of a year's work," he added.
David, a Filipino lawyer currently serves as a government counsel. He also teaches law in San Beda University and Far Eastern University.
"I owe it to our client government agencies, the public I serve, and my students to continuously improve my advocacy skills and deepen my legal knowledge. Harvard has a doctorate degree program in law. One reason why I did extensive work on my research paper is to prove myself that I can engage in more advanced legal studies," he said.
David has been in the United States since August 2019 after successfully receiving financial grants from Harvard.
"This is the longest that I have been abroad and away from family, and while there were some difficulties getting used to a new environment during the first few weeks, there was never a time that I felt lonely," he said.
David said that he makes sure to keep contact with his family in the Philippines. He also thanked their relatives in Massachusetts and his friends who supported his journey and helped him when he felt "emotionally drained" when his grandmother passed away in February and dormitories in Harvard closed due to the pandemic.
"All these entailed changes to our living arrangements, disruption to our academic work, and emotional adjustments. I was able to cope well with the help of my family and the company of my closest friends," he ended.