After father dies of leukemia, Pinoy graduates with Master of Laws from Harvard University

Despite the death of his father because of leukemia, a Pinoy marched on and was able to graduate from Harvard University with a Master of Laws.

In an episode of “Saksi” on Friday, Anjo David shared that his father, Joey, was the family’s breadwinner. It took a toll on everybody, not only emotionally but also financially, when his father passed away.

After graduating cum laude from the University of the Philippines with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Anjo wanted to pursue law but doubted if they had the financial means to do so. 

“It really proved to be a challenge not only for me pero sa buong pamilya ko na rin,” Anjo shared. “Doon nako napaisip itutuloy ko ba ang law school or hindi?”

His mother, Cecille, he shared, continued carrying the burden of the family alone and even entered the call center industry just to support her children.

“Tinulungan ko na po ’yung mother ko na makapagtapos ng mga kapatid sa kolehiyo,” Anjo said.

When Anjo was offered a scholarship to get to law school, he quickly jumped on the opportunity. Not only did he become a certified lawyer, he was also a bar topnotcher and secured a spot as the top 6 bar exam taker.

He didn’t stop there. Soon, he was given the opportunity to study abroad at the prestigious Harvard University. This, however, didn’t come without another set of struggles.

According to Anjo, his grandmother died while he was studying abroad. He was also evicted from his dorm out of his tenant’s fear of contracting the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Nonetheless, Anjo persevered until he received his LL.M. degree.

“Malaking pasasalamat ko more than anything sa pagpunta ko dito sa Harvard and pagtatapos ng Master of Laws,” the lawyer said.

He added, “It’s really for the people who helped me get here. Hindi lang ito nakakahon sa apat na sulok na classroom pero pati na rin doon sa matutunan ko mula sa mga kaklase ko and marami naman tayong natutunan mula sa iba't-ibang bansa.” – Kaela Malig/RC, GMA News