A difficult journey, a brighter future
Liberia’s “Iron Lady,” President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, urged Harvard graduates to be fearless when facing the future, to dream big, and to resist cynicism despite the difficulties and failures they will face in life. Sirleaf, a Harvard Kennedy School alumna who in 2006 became the first woman president of an African nation, gave the Commencement address at Thursday’s (May 26) afternoon ceremonies in Harvard’s Tercentenary Theatre. She told graduating seniors of the challenges she faced during her groundbreaking, zigzagging journey to the president’s office. Those challenges included prison sentences, death threats, and years of exile. “We all persisted. I always maintained the conviction that my country and people are so much better than our recent history indicates,” Sirleaf said. “I believe I am a better leader, a better person, with a richer appreciation for the present because of my past.” Sirleaf received an honorary doctor of laws degree earlier in the day. Along...