MEMMEH TOWN, Montserrado County– New Dimension of Hope Academy celebrated the graduation of 41 students during a ceremony marked by messages of perseverance, discipline, and service, as school administrators highlighted the institution’s growth and unveiled plans for future educational expansion.
By Jaheim T. [email protected]
The graduating class, consisting of 21 males and 23 females, completed their studies in accordance with Ministry of Education requirements and the school’s academic standards.
The occasion also recognized student achievement, with founder and Chief Executive Officer Ambassador Ebenezer S. Norman presenting six Samsung Chromebook laptops to six outstanding students for their academic performance.
Addressing graduates, Norman reflected on his family’s journey from neighboring Sierra Leone to Liberia, using his personal history to illustrate the value of perseverance and opportunity.
Rather than focusing attention on his own accomplishments, he linked his family’s experience to the aspirations of young people seated before him.
Recalling his father’s humble beginnings as a newspaper vendor in Sierra Leone before pursuing higher education abroad and eventually relocating to Liberia, Norman emphasized that dreams can transcend borders and circumstances.
“My father was born and raised in Sierra Leone,” Norman said. “Through hard work and perseverance, my father was able to get a job with a newspaper company. So as a young boy, my father sold newspapers in Sierra Leone.”
He continued by describing how his father later benefited from an opportunity that changed the course of his life.
“President Tubman said, ‘When you graduate, come from Sierra Leone to Liberia for a better opportunity.’ So when my dad graduated, he came to Liberia for a better opportunity. It was then he met my mother and had my siblings and me,” Norman said.
His success should be measured by the positive impact he has on others rather than personal recognition. He urged students to focus their lives on service, purpose, and meaningful contributions to society.
“Today is about the following children who have the curiosity, the resilience, and the potential,” Norman said. “I hope you guys will spend your energy on impact, on purpose, on lifting other people.”
Norman also highlighted the story of one student whose educational journey he said inspired many of his efforts in supporting youth. Recounting her transformation from a child reluctant to attend school into a high school graduate, he described her progress as a symbol of what education can accomplish.
“When I met Watta, she was this small girl who wouldn’t go to school,” Norman said. “And today, she’s graduating high school. I am proud of you and your entire class.”
Delivering her keynote address, former Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, Karishma Pelham-Raad, praised Norman’s investment in education and described youth development as essential to national progress.
Pelham-Raad told the graduates that educational opportunities create the foundation for stronger communities and future leadership.
“If you want to build a great nation, build the minds of the youth,” Pelham-Raad said. “And this is what you are doing.”
Rather than delivering prepared remarks, Pelham-Raad chose to share her own life story, describing a childhood marked by economic hardship, food insecurity, and limited opportunities. She told graduates that difficult circumstances should not define their futures.
“I grew up with a single mother,” she said. “There were times my mom would not even be able to pay my school fees. I had to sell donuts and cookies to help put food on the table.”
She said many people who see her achievements today may assume she came from privilege, but her experiences taught her resilience.
“I’m giving you my story not as a way to boast, but I’m telling you that the struggle is just a process to push you to who you are supposed to be,” Pelham-Raad said.
Throughout her speech, she repeatedly stressed the importance of discipline, respect, consistency, and perseverance. According to her, professional success often depends as much on character as academic credentials.
“You must be as disciplined as you can be,” she said. “When you are disciplined and focused, you will climb mountains. You will go places.”
Pelham-Raad also encouraged graduates to remain committed to their career goals even when faced with setbacks and rejection.
“On your career path, you are going to have more no’s than yeses,” she said. “But you must still focus. You should be your biggest supporter and your biggest motivator.”
Another major theme of her address centered on service to others and building meaningful relationships. She advised students to support their communities and cultivate positive networks that could help them throughout their lives.
“I built networks,” Pelham-Raad said. “You will be surprised one day while you are holding your CV and you walk into an office and meet one of these people sitting here. You better build a good relationship with everyone you have here.”
Principal Suahibu Paasewe reflected on the academy’s development and credited graduates with helping shape the institution’s growth.
He described the graduating class as part of a legacy that influenced the school’s expansion from an elementary institution into a complete educational system.
Paasewe explained that students had persistently advocated for additional educational opportunities when only elementary classes existed.
According to him, those requests ultimately led to the creation of junior high and senior high divisions.
“When these students entered the school, there was no junior high annex,” Paasewe said. “They asked for a junior high, and it was provided. Later they asked for a senior high, and it was also provided.”
Presenting the graduating class to the school’s founder, the principal characterized the ceremony as the successful completion of a seven-year mission.
“The task you gave me seven years back, this is the result,” Paasewe said.
Giving her valedictorian speech, Samera M. Jones thanked administrators, teachers, parents, and fellow graduates for their support throughout the academic journey.
Jones said the school’s educators provided lessons extending beyond textbooks and coursework.
“You taught us discipline, responsibility, and perseverance,” she said. “Every lesson and correction shaped who we are today.”
She encouraged graduates to remain humble and determined as they pursue future ambitions.
“As we leave NDH, let us remember to dream big, work hard, remain humble, never give up, and always remember those who helped us along the way,” Jones said.
The graduating class also presented a photo frame to Norman in recognition of what students described as his selfless commitment to providing tuition-free education through the academy.
Founded during the 2019-2020 academic year, New Dimension of Hope Academy has provided free tuition education to numerous students and recently celebrated its second senior high school graduation ceremony.
School administrators used the event to outline future initiatives aimed at strengthening academic programs.
Planned projects include expanded computer education, the establishment of an education resource library for student research, and the development of a science laboratory to improve practical learning experiences.
The school authority said the planned investments are intended to better prepare students for higher education opportunities at institutions in Liberia and beyond, while continuing the academy’s mission of expanding access to quality education for young people.
