WILMER JOEL*
One of the issues I would like to address — which I have deep concern over — alongside Her Excellency President Hilda Heine is the growing challenge of outmigration. But the outmigration I speak of today is not just about people leaving our islands — it’s about our best minds, our brightest talents, and our future leaders choosing not to return.
This is the heart of what we call the brain drain — and it is slowly draining our islands of the very people who we invested in. Our communities grow quieter and our future grows uncertain. We must envision a Marshall Islands where leadership is local, where opportunity is built by us, not brought from elsewhere. We need more Marshallese doctors, nurses, journalists, educators, politicians, scientists, and so forth. Vision lights the path to our goals, but only through dedication, effort, and sacrifice can we transform that vision into reality.
We are not just working for diplomas or degrees — we are fighting for our families, for the survival of our culture, and for the dignity of our islands. If we don’t invest in our home, who will? A prominent religious leader, the late Gordon B. Hinckley, taught that Education is the key to opportunity.
In the words of our ancestors: “Ekajo kinlal liki jela ak jela men ko rellap ilo manit im jela ko ad” or to be educated on the significance of our culture and our surroundings.
In addition, while the world may teach us to be intelligent and skillful, we must also educate ourselves in the deeper lessons of life — lessons of character, compassion, and conviction. We must learn to honor our elders, care for the poor and needy, love our country and culture, and, above all, walk in love and reverence for God. True success is not measured by knowledge alone, but by the values we live by and the lives we uplift.
Fellow graduates and the rising generation, the brain drain issue will not stop until we decide — that enough is enough. Our islands are worth it. Our people are worth it.
- These are excerpts from Wilmer Joel’s valedictory address to the College of the Marshall Islands graduation late last month.