Former Vice President Leni Robredo went from being chairperson of Angat Buhay, the non-government organization she started after the May 2022 elections, to one of Harvard University’s Hauser Leaders as she was seen starting a series of lectures in the prestigious institution on Thursday, Oct. 13 (Manila time).
In a video posted by Creatives with Leni, one of the many social media pages and channels dedicated to Robredo’s supporters, the former official was seen standing behind a podium while giving a presentation at Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership.
“In fact, we feel that the fight is just starting and we are very very hopeful. We are very hopeful that what we started during the campaign will be something worth building on,” she said in the video posted on Facebook as she talked about losing the presidential elections last May 2022.
Sharing that “a lot of people” have been asking her what she’d been doing, Robredo shared that she wears many hats these days.
“I’m doing many different things,” she said.
A prime example of these “many different things” would be the continuation of Angat Buhay, the anti-poverty program she started at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) that is now incorporated as Angat Pinas Inc.
Similar to her work at the OVP, Angat Buhay aims to uplift the lives of Filipinos by empowering the country’s farthest and poorest communities through well-targeted livelihood programs.
Robredo also shared with those who attended her lecture a quote she herself uttered in jumpstarting Angat Buhay right after the May polls.
“You do not lose sight of what you believe in, you do not lose sight of the goal. You drown out the voices, because there are bigger battles to fight,” the screen read.
The former vice president earlier shared on social media that she will be staying in Boston, Massachusetts for eight months to complete her stint as a Hauser Leader.
Harvard Kennedy School's Center for Public Leadership (CPL) made the announcement about Robredo's appointment last Aug. 31.
Hauser Leaders are described as “living examples of principled and effective public leadership.”
As a Hauser Leader, the former vice president will meet individually with students, give guest lectures, and lead public events on campus.
Aside from the former vice president and now chair of Angat Pinas Inc., Harvard’s CPL also picked former US Rep. Jane Harman, novelist and columnist David Ignatius, United Negro College Fund (UNCF) President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Lomax, and LRN and The HOW Institute for Society founder and chairman Dov Seidman as Hauser Leaders.
“At a time when many challenges stem from leadership shortcomings, these Hauser Leaders bring to campus living examples of principled and effective public leadership,” Deval Patrick, co-director for the Center for Public Leadership and professor of the practice of public leadership, said in the announcement.
“Though from different experiences, these leaders share values, values applied in practical ways, that they can now share with the Kennedy School community,” he added.
Robredo is not the only one in her family to have a stint at Harvard. Her daughter, Dr. Tricia, is currently attending Harvard University’s Master of Medical Sciences in Global Health Delivery program, while eldest daughter Aika and late husband Jesse both earned their Masters of Public Administration degrees from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.