On Monday, March 30th, 2026, the UC Berkeley Institute of European Studies Undergraduate Research and Apprenticeship Program had the honor of hosting Mary Robinson, the first female President (Uachtaráin) of Ireland and former United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, for a professional development workshop. The hour-long interview was conducted by Elodie Szlasa, an undergraduate research assistant at the Institute, to an audience of fifteen fellow apprentices.
The first part of the interview focused on President Robinson's groundbreaking work in promoting gender equality in Ireland. President Robinson spoke about her experience as a Senator helping legalize contraceptives. Recalling the stream of hate mail she received following her advocacy, she was initially destabilized by the public's reaction to her actions. However, she soon grew confident that she was doing the right thing. President Robinson attributed most of her confidence to the people she met while at Harvard Law School in the late 1960s. Seeing her classmates' dedication to bringing racial equality and civil rights to the American South inspired her to bring the same reformative energy to Ireland. Her voice for justice only grew louder, leading her to eventually become the President of Ireland, and later the UN High Commissioner.
With this context in mind, President Robinson provided insight when asked to give advice to young women interested in a career in politics. "Use humor more," she said. In Robinson’s eyes, humor is an incredibly powerful tool – one that can instantly break stiff walls of formality, connecting speakers with their audience, workers to their bosses, or colleagues to each other. President Robinson has noticed that humor's powers tend to be underutilized by high-achieving women, who are typically more serious and professional in their workspaces when compared to men. However, it is these intimate, casual connections fostered by humor that help propel careers. Oftentimes, President Robinson explained, she walks onto stages doing a "silly little dance," as a way to remind her audience that they are all equal. She says it helps her audience relax and become more receptive.
The conversation then shifted to President Robinson's perspectives on the status quo of present society. When asked about the relevancy of human rights in the present, President Robinson confessed this is the "worst time I've known." Despite her distressing preface, President Robinson asserted that international human rights still remain. President Robinson witnessed extreme human rights violations in many countries, such as Colombia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, during her time as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Even in these deplorable conditions, however, she always met leaders resisting the injustice, which in turn energized her. She continues to have this attitude today, especially given the current human rights violations taking place around the world.
To conclude the conversation, President Robinson pulled out a small copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from her purse. She explained that she takes every opportunity she can to share Article 29, which reads "Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible." In a world where a loneliness epidemic is growing, it is important to remember that "truth is our relationship to the other." Ultimately, President Robinson stressed that we must remember our duty to community: it is only when we connect with others that we can reach the full expression of our personality, and get back more than one can give. It is from this joy of helping others that our moral appeal for human rights and justice stems, with its underlying universal power that connects all people.
