Published: October 25, 2025
GBARNGA, Bong County — Deputy Finance Minister for Administration Bill McGill Jones has urged the graduating class of St. Martin Catholic High School to face life’s challenges with courage, discipline, and unwavering faith, calling education “the great equalizer” and the foundation for a purposeful future.
Delivering the keynote address at the school’s commencement held Saturday at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Gbarnga, Minister Jones, himself a native of Bong County, spoke on the theme “Rise Forward with Faith: Building Your Future, Serving Bong County and Liberia.”
He shared his journey from humble beginnings, crediting his parents for instilling values that shaped his career. “They had no riches to leave us,” he said, “but they gave us something far greater: faith, discipline, and resilience.”
Jones urged the graduates to expect setbacks but remain steadfast. “Life will not always be easy,” he said. “There will be moments when the world seems to say ‘no.’ But remember, faith turns ‘no’ into ‘next opportunity.’”
Reflecting on his own academic struggles, he said perseverance was key to success. “When one door closed, I knocked on another. Eventually, one opened, and I walked through. That is what it means to rise forward with faith.”
The ceremony concluded with the Deputy Minister leading the graduates in a collective pledge to serve their community and country, followed by the presentation of diplomas to the St. Martin Catholic High School Class of 2025.
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