The Power of Persistence

If Joar Dahn ’19 was a superhero, he would be Captain Persistence. His superpower is showing up, day in, day out, whatever the circumstances. And being his authentic self while doing it.

As the only nominee on this November’s ballot, Dahn is poised to become the next Mayor of Darby Borough, a community of approximately 10,000 people located five miles southwest of Center City Philadelphia. In the May Pennsylvania primary, Dahn convincingly won the Democratic nomination and there was no candidate in the Republican primary. After being sworn in in January, Dahn will be the youngest Mayor in the Commonwealth at 28 years old.

It’s a role he’s prepared for his entire life. At Bloomsburg, Dahn was a political science major who served two years as Community Government Association president and a year as a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s Board of Governors. Since graduation, Dahn has worked as an advisor and campaign manager to a state representative and mayoral candidates and has been a staff member in the Pennsylvania Senate.

“I ran for mayor because my community was in dire need of new leadership,” says Dahn. “The biggest issue was that the community had lost faith in the leadership, there was no hope. They literally drafted me to consider a run. I ran a race against the political establishment.”

 I took that experience as a candidate for the student government presidency seriously. All of the things I’m doing now as a candidate for Mayor, I did as a candidate for CGA.
— Joar Dahn

Dahn’s journey to Bloomsburg and then to Darby was neither typical nor easy.
“I am an immigrant, born amid a civil war in Liberia,” says Dahn. “The majority of my peers became child soldiers. I was blessed to get out of that life. I was a refugee in Ghana for some time and came to the U.S. in January of 2006.”

“I couldn’t speak a lick of English. When I did learn English. I had an accent. My early experience in the U.S. was rough, but I was persistent. My parents told me, that if I wanted to succeed, I needed to be educated. I made sure I went to school every single day. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia recognized that and awarded me a certificate for 12 years of perfect attendance. I promised my mother that I would come to school every day and I would never break a promise.”

The certificate for perfect attendance is as precious to Dahn as his diploma from Bloomsburg.

His experience as an immigrant helped Dahn and Commonwealth University President Bashar Hanna form a connection.

“We connected when he became CGA president. I was in my first year as president and I joked that we were both in our freshman year,” recalls Hanna. “We both went to Catholic schools. And we were also migrants who came to the United States under incredible duress. These commonalities were the catalyst for a lot of conversations.”

Dahn had come to Bloomsburg hoping to join the wrestling team. Instead, he found himself immersed in academics and campus organizations. He was class president during his sophomore year.

“At the end of my sophomore year, I ran for president of CGA,” says Dahn, who served as president in his junior and senior years. “I ran a real operation, knocking on doors, going to frat houses, campus dorms, and off-campus apartments. I took that experience as a candidate for the student government presidency seriously. All of the things I’m doing now as a candidate for Mayor, I did as a candidate for CGA.”

“I realized there was so much more that CGA could do. It was a separate entity from the university, with its own budget and businesses it owned and operated. I realized how intricate and delicate those things were. Having a controller and an office staff,” says Dahn. “I looked at it like a business. This is a $34 million business that operates the University Store, off-campus housing, and the Rec Center. It was a life-changing experience. It was real-life experience, real corporate experiences.”

At every meeting, he was incredibly well-prepared to advocate for what students needed. When opportunities presented themselves, he took advantage of them. He never shied away from challenges.
— President Bashar Hanna

As president of the CGA, Dahn also served as an advisor to the Council of Trustees and the Bloomsburg University Foundation. Outside of the CGA, he served in key leadership roles, such as chairman of PASSHE’s Board of Student Government Presidents, President of the African Student Association, advisor to the Multicultural Center, Vice President of the Fredrick Douglas Debate Society, as well as the Founder and Organizer of BU’s annual Beyond the Fountain event.

“In my senior year, because I was on the Board of Governors, I probably spent more time in Harrisburg than in the classroom,” says Dahn. “But as a political science major, most professors were happy about that; I was getting real government and political experience.”

Hanna recalls Dahn as a driven advocate for students. “At every meeting, he was incredibly well-prepared to advocate for what students needed. When opportunities presented themselves, he took advantage of them. He never shied away from challenges. Even while a student, he provided support for his mother and siblings. He saw challenges as opportunities to keep climbing. Joar once told me, ‘If it weren’t for the adversity, I wouldn’t be as strong as I am.’ That’s a saying that I’ve drawn strength from.”

Dahn is one of the students with whom Hanna has remained in touch after graduation. “My role is making sure our students, even after they graduate, know that their alma mater still cares about them. Joar is a great ambassador for the university.”

Dahn has remained connected to the university as well, having served as the guest speaker for the Bloomsburg University Leadership Certificate Program Awards Lunch in September of 2021, reviewing resumes of political science students over the years, and attending the President’s Leadership Summit in Philadelphia in April of 2024.

“The big lesson I learned at Bloomsburg was to get involved. Do everything your time allows you to,” says Dahn. “And always show up as the best version of yourself.”