—Cites Leadership and Outstanding Service to Liberia
IPNEWS: The School of Graduate and Professional Studies at the United Methodist University (UMU) has honored Madam Nyemadeh Pearson in recognition of her exceptional leadership, academic excellence, and outstanding service to Liberia.
The honoring ceremony, held at UMU’s Tubman Boulevard campus, drew faculty members, graduate students, administrators, alumni, and invited guests to celebrate Pearson’s remarkable journey from her early days at UMU to her current academic pursuits at Harvard University, as well as her enduring commitment to integrity and national development.
Madam Pearson, currently enrolled in Harvard’s master’s in public administration (Mid-Career Program), delivered an inspirational address reflecting on her personal and professional journey.
“I am happy to be back home,” Pearson said, warmly acknowledging familiar faces in the audience, including former lecturers, classmates, university staff, clergy, and family members. “Being here today reminds me where my journey started.”
Pearson shared insights from her upbringing as the youngest of four children born to Mr. James Pearson and Mrs. Lucille Pearson, emphasizing the role her mother played in instilling discipline, responsibility, and ethical values.
“My mother was the force in our family,” she said. “She taught us discipline, honesty, humility, and integrity—values that have guided me throughout my personal and professional life.”
She credited her mother’s teachings, particularly the emphasis on confidentiality, ethical conduct, and humility, for shaping her leadership philosophy and enabling her to navigate both the private and public sectors with confidence.
Reflecting on her academic roots, Pearson described her experience as part of UMU’s second graduating cohort, during a period of transition when the institution was becoming a full university under the leadership of the late Dr. Oliver Duncan.
“At the time, Dr. Duncan constantly reminded us of UMU’s motto: ‘The Light of the World,’” Pearson said. “We didn’t fully understand it then, but today, UMU graduates are making an impact across government, banking, and public institutions.”
Pearson emphasized that UMU’s rigorous academic environment helped lay the foundation for her professional career, which includes service at the Ministry of Commerce, Ecobank (where she rose to Branch Manager), the National Oil Company of Liberia, the Liberian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and senior public sector roles.
“Public service is not easy, especially when professionalism meets politics,” she said. “But integrity, accountability, fairness, and transparency must always guide us.”
Speaking about her studies at Harvard, Pearson described her admission as a defining moment and noted the challenges of returning to an intensive 12-month program after 15 years in the workforce.
“One day at Harvard, someone showed me a photograph and said, ‘This is your former president,’ referring to Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,” she recalled. “That moment reminded me that Liberian women have broken glass ceilings—and many more must follow.”
Pearson urged young Liberian women to pursue higher education and leadership roles, emphasizing that leadership is determined by character and effort, not gender.
“If I can rise from UMU to Harvard, then the sky is truly the limit for you,” she told the graduate students. “Do not allow your starting point to define your destination.”
She encouraged students to embrace their roles as future leaders and to embody UMU’s motto by practicing ethics, transparency, and fairness in every institution they serve, whether public or private.
Pearson also expressed her commitment to giving back to UMU through academic engagement, mentorship, and online instruction, highlighting that many UMU alumni are already contributing to universities across the United States.
“I want to come back into the classroom and share my Harvard experience so we can help transform our institutions,” she said.
The ceremony concluded with resounding applause, as students and faculty praised Pearson’s humility, authenticity, and steadfast dedication to Liberia’s development. Her message underscored the enduring importance of education, integrity, and service as pillars for national progress, affirming that UMU continues to cultivate leaders who shine as the true Light of the World.
