Africa-Press – Liberia. The Director General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA), Josiah F. Joekai, Jr. has urged graduates of the Adler University Class 2025 to go boldly, calling on them to take what they have learned, wrap it in purpose, and go out there and change the world.
Delivering the commencement address at program marking the graduation ceremony of the Adler University Class 2025 recently in the United States of America, Mr. Joekai said, ‘‘we’re not only here to celebrate personal triumphs. We are here to bear witness to something much bigger: a global story of courage, conviction, and rising above the odds because every single one of you sitting in a cap and gown today has a story of sacrifice.’’
‘‘Class of 2025, you endured more. You weathered uncertainty, heartbreak, global disruptions, and personal trials. You studied in kitchens, on commuter trains, in hospital break rooms, and between shifts. Some of you did it while raising children, caring for loved ones, holding down two jobs, or fighting invisible battles no one could see,’’ the CS| boss said.
And still, you rose.
‘‘You rose to the occasion, not because it was easy, but because you believed that education is not simply about earning a degree. It’s about shaping a destiny. Your endurance is the evidence. Your degree is the declaration. And so, I say to you today, stand tall!’’
‘‘Because you are not just graduates. You are architects of change.’’ Mr. Joekai pointed out.
As someone who now leads Liberia’s Civil Service Agency and chairs both the President’s Young Professionals Program and the Health and Public Service Network of Africa, he said he sees every day how policy, governance, and social systems affect real lives.
‘‘What I’ve learned here at Adler about justice, human behavior, equity, and organizational transformation isn’t academic theory. It is the fuel I use to reform institutions, enforce merit, eliminate ghost workers, and restore trust in public service. And you, my fellow graduates, wherever you are going, whether it’s into clinical psychology, nonprofit leadership, education, health care, entrepreneurship, or public policy, you carry with you the same responsibility: to lead with purpose. The world needs you. Not tomorrow. Now. It needs your courage in the face of injustice. Your empathy in the face of division. Your brilliance in the face of broken systems,’’ Mr. Joekai accentuated.
He told the graduates not to allow this degree to be a trophy on the wall.
‘‘Let it be a tool in your hand. Let it be a torch you carry into dark corners. Let it be a voice you use when others are silenced. Because if we’re being honest, the world is not short on degrees, but it is short on leaders of conscience. It is short on servant-leaders, bridge-builders, truth-tellers, and those who are not seduced by status, but who are grounded in service,’’ Mr. Joekai stated.
Mr. Joekai, who extended greetings from President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. to the graduates, saying the President congratulates the Graduating Class and the entire Adler University family for their immeasurable contributions to the advancement of quality education, equity, and justice through their inclusive and flexible academic and social justice program.
Speaking further, Mr. Joekai, who holds Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Adler University, Class of 2025, intoned, ‘‘So, promise me this: Wherever you go from here, carry your story. Stand on your values. Keep your heart open. Do the hard things, not because they are easy or glamorous, but because they are right.’’
‘‘And when life gets heavy, and it will, remember this moment. Remember that you made it here not by accident, but by intention. You endured, overcame, and grew. That’s the kind of strength no diploma can measure, but one that the world desperately needs,’’ he uttered.
In closing, he thanked Adler University for creating a learning environment that values equity, mental health, innovation, and activism.
‘‘Thank you for believing that people like us, with passion, complexity, and responsibility, deserve access to education that not only transforms minds but also societies. To my beloved family, my dear country, Liberia, and to my fellow graduates, thank you for believing in me,’’ he, among other things, added.
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