Former Senator Bam Aquino has been selected by Yale University for its 2023 Maurice R. Greenberg World Fellows Program, considered as the university’s signature global leadership development initiative.

Aquino, the only Filipino in the 2023 class, will join 15 other fellows from various parts of the world who are working in environment, government, technology, conflict-resolution, international development, and business, for a four-month academic enrichment and leadership training.

“I am honored to be a part of this year’s group of fellows who are considered the best in their respective fields.  To learn governance and technology from one of the top universities in the world is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I couldn’t afford to miss,” Aquino said.

Former Vice President Leni Robredo congratulated Aquino for his latest achievement, calling it a “very well-deserved recognition and an affirmation of your excellent work as a former member of the Senate.”

Robredo also noted that the selection coincided with the anniversary of the Free College Law in the Philippines, which he was the principal sponsor.

During his term as Senator from 2013 to 2019, Aquino worked for the passage of several landmark legislations as author and principal sponsor, such as the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which has provided free college education to millions of Filipino students in all state universities and colleges.

As chairperson of the Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship in the Senate, he also pushed for the enactment of the Philippine Competition Act, the Innovative Start-up Act and the Youth Entrepreneurship Act, among others.

Aquino is currently the chairperson of Kaya Natin, a nationwide non-profit that provides capacity-building to local government leaders.

He also co-founded PasaJob, a start-up that matches individuals to prospective jobs using a patented referral technology. As an avid supporter of the video gaming industry, he also co-founded MEE Games, another start-up that develops video game developers.

In 2019, Aquino was selected by the Eisenhower Fellowship as one of the 22 young global leaders from Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and South America by the Eisenhower Fellowships to join its 2020 program.

The program was however shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic.