Harvard College 2000 Podcast: Andrea Volfova Filipi

Harvard College 2000 Podcast: Andrea Volfova Filipi

Author: Harvard College Class of 2000 March 12, 2026 Duration: 1:01:55

Dara talks to Andrea about “life being extraordinary” and “mulling over grand plans for the future.” Andrea discusses moving to the United States to attend Harvard, soon after the end of the cold war. She has always been interested in foreign affairs and dreamed of working at the United Nations (spoiler alert- she did!). After college, she went to the London School of Economics to study Development and then returned to Prague for her dream job at an NGO. An ad in The Economist changed her life- sending her into a career at the UN where she’s been for the past 20 years on and off, at both UN headquarters and many countries in Africa. Writing for Let’s Go was life-changing for Andrea, allowing her to see what war does to a country. Andrea also opens up about her health challenges related to a congenital heart issue.

Andrea lived in Mather House and concentrated in Psychology. She is originally from Prague and now lives in Western Sahara.


What happens after the cap and gown are put away? Harvard College Class of 2000: The Podcast explores that long, winding road. This isn't a formal reunion report but a series of conversations with classmates, catching up on more than two decades of life. You'll hear about careers that took unexpected turns, personal milestones, and the perspectives that only time and distance can provide. We also circle back to our shared origin point, swapping stories about those formative Cambridge years-the moments that stuck, the lessons that mattered, and the quirks of a particular time and place. Each episode is a different story, a unique path stemming from a common starting line. It's a chance to reconnect with voices from the past and discover where they've landed in the present. Tune in for a thoughtful, often surprising, and deeply human look at the journey from then to now, all through the specific lens of this class. This podcast is created by and for the Harvard College Class of 2000, offering a genuine audio chronicle of our group's evolving narrative.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Harvard College Class of 2000: The Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Harvard College 2000 Podcast: Jason Larocque [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:45
Dara talks to Jason Larocque about his journey from Harvard baseball to the Red Sox, and then into a long career in education. While still an educator, and still connected with the Harvard baseball team, Jason has combin…
Harvard College 2000 Podcast: Our 50th Episode! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:39
It's our 50th episode!! Dara and Eileen take a minute to reflect on the podcast, our process, and some themes we've seen. Sign up to record your own episode or recommend someone!
Harvard College 2000 Podcast: Wendy May (Lu) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:58
Today Wendy (known as Wendy Lu in college) and Eileen discuss Wendy’s book, Regenerative Purpose, and the radical reframe of purpose not as a goal-driven personal mission, but rather a dynamic, co-creative process with L…
Harvard College 2000 Podcast: Alisa Meny Freed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:32
Dara talks to Alisa Meny Freed about being a family medicine doctor, taking care of parents, her upcoming trip around the world, Maine, photography, theater, and her husband, Dick Freed ‘01. Alisa lived in Thayer and Cab…
Harvard College 2000 Podcast: Izzy Ruiz [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:27
Dara talks with Izzy Ruiz about his journey through the world of high fashion and design to his new-found passion of oenology and wine. Izzy explains his red book entry of how he crossed the cat-human speech border! A pr…
Harvard College 2000 Podcast: Bhakti Mirchandani [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:25
Dara talks to Bhakti about sustainable finance and investing, keeping in touch with friends, and her work teaching and writing about sustainability and finance. A huge thank you to Bhakti for hosting our spring NYC pre-r…
Harvard College 2000 Podcast: Michael Blaugrund [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:22
Dara talks to Michael Blaugrund who tells us about his journey from Ohio to Cambridge to NYC. Michael talks about his band, the Headset, with classmates in NYC in his 20s to his work in the financial industry, including…
Harvard College 2000 Podcast: Sunana Sohi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:04
You’ve seen her puns and jokes on the WhatsApp thread, now it’s time to get to know Sunana Sohi. Sunana is a gastroenterologist who makes talking about colonoscopies fun- and hot tip, get your colonoscopy now if you have…
Harvard College 2000 Podcast: Paul Gutman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:15
Dara talks to Paul today about his life as a NYC lawyer in the music business, representing such epic clients such as Dave Matthews Band and Pearl Jam, spending the past 19 years at the same firm! Paul also talks about m…