Lady Gaga Debuts Foundation At Harvard

Reported by Beenish Ahmed

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Lady Gaga set aside her thigh-high fishnets and signature face masks and instead donned a sophisticated long, black gown. The so-called "Queen of Pop" looked almost regal as she testified about her new foundation, Born This Way, after an on-stage chat with Oprah Winfrey.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius asked Gaga how she hopes to empower kids to create a more accepting world.

"I guess, I sort of have this feeling that if I can, you know, make a song called 'Just Dance' really big all over the world, I might be able to make a song that's, you know, 'Just Be Nice,' " Gaga said.

Sebelius was one of six panelists who questioned Gaga about her new foundation. Other panelists included spiritual leader Deepak Chopra and Alyssa Rodemeyer, whose 14-year-old brother committed suicide last fall after being harassed for his sexual identity.

Lady Gaga said she doesn't feel she can single-handedly create a more accepting world, but hopes to use her fame to spark change.

"I can't tell you where I got my nerve from, but I believe that if you have revolutionary potential you must make the world a better place and use it," Gaga said.

The foundation's message rings true to Samuel Brickett, who says he was bullied in high school for being gay. Now a graduate student at MIT, Brickett is moved by Gaga's mission.

"Lady Gaga's been about 'If you are different, it's okay to just be different,'" Brickett said. "And I think that's a really inspiring moment."

Harvard's Berkman Center, the MacArthur Foundation and other organizations have pledged to work with Lady Gaga and her foundation.

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