US university
New Zealand’s ex-Prime Minister Ardern goes to Harvard
After her surprising retirement from politics earlier this year, Jacinda Ardern plans to spend a semester at Harvard starting in the fall. photo
© Kay Nietfeld/dpa
“Give speeches, teach and learn”: Jacinda Ardern is going to the renowned US University Harvard from autumn. She surprisingly withdrew from politics earlier this year.
New Zealand’s ex-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern goes to the renowned US University Harvard. After her surprising retirement from politics at the beginning of the year, she will spend a semester there from autumn, Ardern wrote on Instagram on Wednesday. As previously announced, she wanted to “give speeches, teach and learn,” said the 42-year-old. During her semester abroad, she will miss the new elections scheduled for October in her home country.
Ardern resigned from her position in February. She said she lacked the strength to continue as prime minister. When she took office in 2017, Ardern was the youngest head of government at the time. In 2018, she became a mother during her tenure.
At Harvard, she will take on several roles and deal with topics such as governance and extremism online, the university said. “Jacinda Ardern has shown the world strong and compassionate political leadership,” wrote Harvard Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf. “It will provide our students with important insights and stimulate important conversations about political decisions.” Ardern will conduct research, but will also exchange ideas with students and teachers, it said.
After her semester in the US, Ardern wants to return. “New Zealand is home after all!” she wrote on Instagram. Because of her empathetic nature, the politician had also made a name for herself internationally. But especially her handling of the bloody attacks in Christchurch in 2019 brought her a lot of recognition. At that time, a right-wing extremist shot dead 51 Muslims in two mosques. At the beginning of April she was appointed special envoy for the so-called “Christchurch Call”. The global initiative fights terrorist and violent extremist content online.
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