Published: May 25, 2026
MONROVIA — The president of the Female Journalists Association of Liberia urged students in Electoral District 11 Friday to reject academic complacency and take their education seriously, warning that Liberia’s future rests on a generation willing to do the hard work that national transformation demands.
Lisa Diasay delivered the remarks at the annual awards ceremony of the District Eleven Students Union, where students, educators and community leaders gathered to recognize outstanding academic performances across schools in the district.
Diasay described education as the foundation of both personal success and national development and drew on a string of quotations from global figures to press her argument. She cited Aristotle’s observation that the roots of education are bitter but the fruit sweet, Booker T. Washington’s definition of excellence as doing a common thing in an uncommon way, Colin Powell’s description of success as the product of preparation, hard work and learning from failure, and Nelson Mandela’s declaration that education is the most powerful weapon for changing the world.
She used Mandela’s framing as the anchor of her remarks, urging students to become responsible citizens capable of contributing to Liberia’s development rather than becoming casualties of distraction and discouragement.
“There’s a myth in the public that students nowadays are not focusing, but you have to make sure that you dispel that rumor and misinformation because the next generation depends on you,” Diasay said.
She told students that setbacks and failures should serve as motivation rather than reasons to quit, and challenged them to embrace leadership, maintain discipline and distinguish themselves through consistent hard work.
The ceremony also presented several awards, including Best Institution of the Year, Academician of the Year, Student Athlete of the Year and Vocalist of the Year. Youtoo David Kohn, public relations officer of Sister Shirley Kolmer Catholic School, won the Best Male Educator award for the 2025/2026 academic year.
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