Garly Joseph: A Graduate at Great Heights
Director of Community Development Elizabeth O'Connell meets her former student Garly Joseph at the airport.
In 2004, Garly Joseph completed her seven-year formation at Louverture Cleary School and left her mark as an assertive, persistent, caring, service-oriented woman. Now when travelers to LCS arrive at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport after a long journey to Haiti, they may be warmly greeted by that same passionate woman and be touched by LCS’s mission and charism before even leaving the airport, where Garly now works for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
As a student, Garly was a recognized leader in her class. One of her former classmates Marie Michele Drouinaud recalls that, “Garly was everyone’s friend and known for her passion to rebuild Haiti by her peers, the teachers and even the students’ parents. Whatever Garly was doing, she wanted everyone to be involved.” It’s no surprise now that this spunky woman has been filling a significant role at the airport where she works with many important people passing through the country.
There is no doubt that Garly found her job through great fortitude. Throughout her years at LCS, she struggled with many forms of illness. “Even when she was sick and had to miss a lot of class,” Marie Michele recalls, “Garly was very courageous. She still worked hard to pass her classes at LCS.” After graduating, these earlier issues culminated in a serious throat problem, causing her to take a year off from her university studies. Once her illness was cleared up, Garly took an extra heavy class load so she could still finish her degree on time. “I had a lot of support from the LCS community,” Garly says, “which gave me the courage to persevere.”
As a recipient of the Shelburne Falls Scholarship after graduation in 2004, Garly remained in the LCS community as a member of the Junior Staff. While studying International Studies at Quisqueya University in Port au Prince, she worked in the Office of External Affairs for THP, helping other graduates secure scholarships and employment.
After completing her studies this past May, Garly was offered a position at the airport to work for the Ministry of Foreign affairs. Each day as visitors come in to the country of Haiti, Garly accompanies those who are in need of special assistance and welcomes special guests to make them feel at home. Recently, Garly was on a team to receive and accompany former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who was appointed as Special Envoy to Haiti. Garly enjoys her new job and is confident in her work. “Through my education at LCS, I learned how to work with a lot of different kinds of people,” Garly said. “This has helped me to adapt quickly to my work at the airport.”
