Is Anja Abrogar following in the footsteps of her mother, Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes?
In 2021, Anja graduated magna cum laude from Ateneo de Manila University with a degree in Management Engineering, continuing a proud family tradition.
Her mother, Annette, also earned the same degree, graduating cum laude in 1993.
Anja’s father, Joselito Abrogar, similarly pursued Management Engineering in his undergraduate studies at Ateneo.
Read: Mother and daughter finish the same course with flying colors
The question now is: what will Anja do next?
Will she become a lawyer? Or will she venture into the entertainment industry?
After all, her grandfather is Atty. Felipe L. Gozon, the current chairman and adviser of the board of GMA Network.
Her mom, too, is serving as the Kapuso network's Senior Vice President for Programming, Talent Management, Worldwide, and Support Group, and President of GMA Films.
Despite these family influences, Anja seems determined to forge her own path.
"I'm not in law school now," she tells PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) in an exclusive interview during Avignon Clinic's 5th anniversary dinner on August 15, 2024, at The Conservatory of The Peninsula Manila Hotel in Makati City.
Anja is more interested in the finance side of business.
"I think maybe in the far future, I could see myself doing something similar, but not necessarily the creative side of the business.
"I'm not very creative."
She adds, "I could... But not in the [creatives]. Maybe like finance or GMA Ventures which is like the investing arm of GMA."
ANJA ABROGAR: HER MOM'S INFLUENCE
With Anja graduating from the same course and school as her mother, did she ever feel any pressure growing up?
Anja shares that rather than feeling pressured, she was more inspired.
“No, not really. It wasn’t pressuring at all,” she says.
Anja continues, "Actually, what was funny was in college, a lot of my professors knew my mom because she took the same course.
"And some of her professors became my professors. But it never really pressured me.
"It just made me feel like I need to be good like she was. There's like a little thing lang but it wasn't bad."
When asked about her mom's greatest influence on her, Anja reveals, "The thing that I learned from my mom was to be confident.
"She's always... growing up, she's always very confident and she always taught me that I can do anything I set my mind to.
"And I think that's really helped me with anything I do. I feel like I can do it and it comes from having a very strong support system."
ANJA ABROGAR: FINANCE CAREER
For now, Anja is working as a senior associate at Endeavor Philippines, a non-profit global organization that supports over 30 high-impact entrepreneurs across various industries.
"Now, I work at Endeavor Philippines which is a global organization that helps startup founders raise capital and expand to other markets.
"So I see myself staying here for a bit because we're supporting a lot of entrepreneurs who I like and who I think can make a big difference in the Philippines.
"Like Angkas, like Pick Up Coffee, Edamama, Great Deals."
Anja sees herself pursuing a master's degree related to her current field in the near future.
"I'm going to be here for a while but then I see myself also going to a master's to learn more about finance and asset management."
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