Monrovia, Liberia – Leymah Gbowee, a Liberian and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, has inspired and urged Blue Crest University graduates to take all the required actions to realize their dreams in trying circumstances. No outstanding person in history should ever boast about having an easy life, she said.
Speaking at the commencement convocation of Blue Crest University’s 7th graduation ceremony, held on March 25, 2023, at the Dominion Christian Fellowship Church in Congo Town, Monrovia, Madam Gbowee made the remark.
“Don’t let your situation discourage you. Don’t let the politics of this nation discourage you. Don’t let people whispering in your ear in your that no one in this family has done it so you can’t do it. As you work out my prayers for all of you is that you’ll revise your dream and make Liberia great”, she emphasized.
The 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate who spoke on the theme: “Disrupted Dreams Revise Dreams”, premised her speech on her life story taking into account four words in the back of her mind, she named Faith, Humility, Integrity, and Hard Work.
She said growing up as a child her dream was to become a pediatrician because she was interested so much in becoming a doctor. But when the war came her dream of becoming a doctor was disrupted.
Many other things happened, Gbowee said, adding that she never stop dreaming to be the best. According to her, “In my life journey there were many challenges including no food to eat, many days of trying to do things that were not working. When your dream becomes disrupted it doesn’t mean that your dream has died. A dream should always be somewhere that you can look at it.”
Madam Gbowee went further on to say that anything that comes too easy is not worth fighting for. If life is extremely easy it is not worth fighting for. She explained that she knew in other to revise her dream she was to harness her Faith, underscoring that no one does anything in this world if he or she do not have an understanding of who God is. “God became my rock, he became my solace and every step along the way he was right there directing my steps.
“The second thing was Humility. And that is the word that is far running away from young Liberians. We do not know how to be humbled. I knew in other to revise my dream I was going to be humbled and not trying to compare myself to my friends.
Continuing she said, “The third thing is Integrity, your understanding of right and wrong. I was not perfect but I knew everything I did I had to have integrity. How you live your life to become a respectable person.”
Nobel Laureate Gbowee said the understanding of right and wrong is what is missing in the Liberian society today. Wrong is celebrated as right, and right is chastise as wrong, saying until the nation have a generation of young people who will stand up and say I am going to do it the right way.
“Your understanding of good and evil is not just about you and your family. Remember everywhere you go you represent this nation”, she added.
In concluding, she also mentioned that Hard Work is missing among young people as she further encouraged the graduates to work hard if they are to succeed and make great impact in the society.
“I am not a pediatrician but I am one of the most respected peace builders in the world. So my dream of becoming a pedestrian was disrupted but my dream of impacting lives has been revised”, the Peace icon said.
Earlier, making a special statement at the program, the President of the BlueCrest University Liberia, Dr. Umesh Neelakantan said the Graduation marks the very important step for a student’s life to think higher. The day is very significant because his or her values are being attributed for the new portfolio of learning which has been conceptualized and to be practiced.
This value, according to him, has achieved merit through the status of a very well – articulated process in one of the best higher education institutes of this country, stating that BlueCrest has contributed for advanced higher education, and has been complemented, recognized and approved by very important people and by those offices of governance where merit and quality stand tall.
Dr. Neelakantan noted that BlueCrest in Liberia has been able to bring radical thoughts for more than three thousand learners as on date through the opportunities created dominantly via information technology. Since 2014, BlueCrest has imparted a mindset of progress among learners through different portfolios in Information technology.
As on date, he further explained that BlueCrest has evolved into advanced status of learning portfolios like Cloud computing, Cyber security, advanced Software programming, advanced Networking platform, Health Analytics, Data Science, Machine Learning and Deep learning technologies, big data analytics and many more.
BlueCrest is also in the process of developing many inspiring learning portfolios and also widening the scope into Folk Arts, Handicrafts, Sports, Agriculture etc . He said the institution is also in the process of collaborating with global MNCs and highly reputed Universities across the world for advanced and value-added programs.
In his subsequent speech, he highlighted that “Every government in the world moves very fast with new educational opportunities for the countrymen. It has to be a mandate by every government to provide advanced educational opportunities for the citizens of the country through greater investments.
“This will help every inspired learner to prove his / her mettle without additional hardships of logistics and other extra costs involved. E learning opportunities have to reach the door steps of the smallest subset of humanity. That has been the speed at which IT backed education has revolutionalised the world. BlueCrest offers supports for such endeavours in Liberia through collaborations with schools in different counties.
The BlueCrest President intimated that learning is a never-ending process and it is mandatory that every government shows the keenness for providing the fillip of progress to educational groups with farsightedness and strategic plans.
Investing in education by government, according to him, should have no limits because the returns for the government are never calculated in terms of monetary benefit. Instead, the returns are translated for great citizens to evolve with newer thought perspectives, social initiatives, philanthropic quests and great business initiatives.
The second thing was Humility. And that is the word that is far running away from young Liberians. We do not know how to be humbled. I knew in other to revise my dream I was going to be humbled and not trying to compare myself to my friends.
Continuing she said, “The third thing is Integrity, your understanding of right and wrong. I was not perfect but I knew everything I did I had to have integrity. How you live your life to become a respectable person.”
Nobel Laureate Gbowee said the understanding of right and wrong is what is missing in the Liberian society today. Wrong is celebrated as right, and right is chastise as wrong, saying until the nation have a generation of young people who will stand up and say I am going to do it the right way.
“Your understanding of good and evil is not just about you and your family. Remember everywhere you go you represent this nation”, she added.
In concluding, she also mentioned that Hard Work is missing among young people as she further encouraged the graduates to work hard if they are to succeed and make great impact in the society.
“I am not a pediatrician but I am one of the most respected peace builders in the world. So my dream of becoming a pedestrian was disrupted but my dream of impacting lives has been revised”, the Peace icon said.
Earlier, making a special statement at the program, the President of the Blue Crest
University Liberia, Dr. Umesh Neelakantan said the Graduation marks the very important step for a student’s life to think higher. The day is very significant because his or her values are being attributed for the new portfolio of learning which has been conceptualized and to be practiced.
This value, according to him, has achieved merit through the status of a very well – articulated process in one of the best higher education institutes of this country, stating that BlueCrest has contributed for advanced higher education, and has been complemented, recognized and approved by very important people and by those offices of governance where merit and quality stand tall.
Dr. Neelakantan noted that Blue Crest in Liberia has been able to bring radical thoughts for more than three thousand learners as on date through the opportunities created dominantly via information technology. Since 2014, Blue Crest has imparted a mindset of progress among learners through different portfolios in Information technology.
He further explained that Blue Crest is evolved into advanced status of learning portfolios like Cloud computing, Cyber security, advanced Software programming, advanced Networking platform, Health Analytics, Data Science, Machine Learning and Deep learning technologies, big data analytics and many more.
BlueCrest is also in the process of developing many inspiring learning portfolios and also widening the scope into Folk Arts, Handicrafts, Sports, Agriculture etc . He said the institution is also in the process of collaborating with global MNCs and highly reputed Universities across the world for advanced and value-added programs.
In his subsequent speech, he highlighted that “Every government in the world moves very fast with new educational opportunities for the countrymen. It has to be a mandate by every government to provide advanced educational opportunities for the citizens of the country through greater investments.
“This will help every inspired learner to prove his / her mettle without additional hardships of logistics and other extra costs involved. E learning opportunities have to reach the door steps of the smallest subset of humanity. That has been the speed at which IT backed education has revolutionalised the world. BlueCrest offers supports for such endeavours in Liberia through collaborations with schools in different counties.
The Blue Crest President intimated that learning is a never-ending process and it is mandatory that every government shows the keenness for providing the fillip of progress to educational groups with farsightedness and strategic plans.
Investing in education by government, according to him, should have no limits because the returns for the government are never calculated in terms of monetary benefit. Instead, the returns are translated for great citizens to evolve with newer thought perspectives, social initiatives, philanthropic quests and great business initiatives.
Reported by: Stephen G. Fellajuah
