Journey To Commencement: Justin Demetrius Barker
Journey To Commencement: Justin Demetrius Barker
Peirce College’s 160th Commencement is right around the corner! We are thrilled to highlight some of our upcoming graduates and share their stories, in their own words, with our Journey to Commencement series.
Today’s feature is Justin Demetrius Barker, a graduate of the Master of Science Organizational Leadership and Management program.
“Well, I came to Peirce about two years after graduating high school. I had attempted to attend Temple University and CCP, but I still hadn’t shaken off the high school C-student mentality. Honestly, I carried that mentality with me throughout my academic career because I preferred to work. I worked all throughout my teens and into my 20s. I worked for the City of Philadelphia for 7 ½ years, worked for the 76ers, opened a few businesses—including a hair salon and a business center—and had several other entrepreneurial ventures. But I wanted to focus on getting my degree because I had already invested so much time and money into obtaining them. More importantly, I needed to leave a legacy for my bloodline.
My mother, who recently passed in September 2024, would always tell me and my four brothers that all we owed her was to graduate high school. And although that was our debt to her, I want to do more for my children and grandchildren. So now, I’m entertaining the idea of getting my Juris Doctor next, as my original focus for attending college was to become a corporate lawyer specializing in contract law. Or I may just complete my studies with a doctoral degree—either in business administration or theology.
Like most students at Peirce College, I’ve had my share of battles—ups and downs. From homelessness to losing businesses, my greatest teacher throughout all of this has been my failures. Without those, I wouldn’t be as strong, fortified, intelligent, skilled, resilient, and informed as I am today. I am super proud of myself for obtaining my master’s in Organizational Leadership. I wish I had attended some of my previous graduation ceremonies because my mother could have been a part of those. She was around to see my associate’s degree when it came in the mail, but my bachelor’s degree didn’t make it in time for her to see it—I was waiting to surprise her, but she surprised me instead.
Within the next 18 months, I will go from being Mr. Barker to Dr. Barker or Mr. Barker, Esquire—we shall see. My focus, beyond my academic pursuits, is to become a trillionaire, with a nonprofit centered on affordable housing and a for-profit venture focused on private equity and real estate.
I am also an author. My book, The Access Code by J. Demetrius Barker, is available on Amazon.
Thank you all so much for this journey. It has been a tough one, but this is what Philadelphians are made of—we know how to take a licking and keep on ticking. Blessings to you all.”
Justin Demetrius Barker, M.S., OLM
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