Miss Sierra Leone USA: A Crown That Will Last Forever

Happy Sunday!!!

Hope you and yours are doing well. Today marks the 3rd week since I was crowned Miss Sierra Leone USA, and I'm still taking in all the excitement, responsibilities, opportunities, etc. Yesterday, while reading some passages on Bible Gateway, I came across a reading that really resonated to me with regards to my journey to becoming and being MSLUSA 2012. This passage is 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, it reads "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."

One of the reasons why I decided to apply myself into the Miss Sierra Leone USA Pageant system is because I wanted to give service to my Sierra Leonean diaspora in the United States, and I saw this title as a gateway for that intent. This is why one of the pillars of my personal platform, SHERO, is service. Having purpose, I did lots of research, practice and asked questions in order to be successful in this endeavor. Like the passage says, many will compete but only one will get the prize and by God's grace I did my best to be the one. I was so invested in this that sometimes my mom made comments that I put so much work into this just as I do for my academic work. Of course, I found balance in both during this past semester because as an African the motto is "school first" in our homes.

Crowning Miss Sierra Leone USA 2012-2014, Ruby B. Johnson

I am a staunch believer that oftentimes when you put in the work, one will reap the benefits. Like the passage states, everyone will go into strict training and I know that we the 8 ladies that were in this pageant did our tasks accordingly. All my life, I was never involved with pageants and had no interest in pageantry so this was a new experience for me. I remember when I will tell some friends/family I was going to do this they were very surprised. Some even made comments about how pageantry contrasted with my lifestyle as a feminist, but I always responded to their comments and questions explaining my purpose of getting involved. In a future blog post, I will explain how I am bridging the gap between feminism and pageantry in my life.

Towards the end of verse 25 reminds me of my purpose of getting involved. Having a crown and sash is all material things, and that could easily be bought. But I will say getting the MSLUSA crown and sash is the icing on the cake for my job. It is not about winning a crown and sash but doing something with it afterwards and where I take it to. Having a crown that last forever means to leave my mark and think of the legacy I will leave behind. There have been 5 women that were given this task in the past and they all left their mark in various ways. I cannot say what my legacy will be but I hope to leave a positive imprint. In SHERO, O for opportunities, and this is an important pillar to me before and during my reign because I do believe that life is what you make it. I have been given this opportunity as Miss Sierra Leone USA to make an impact, so I will do my part with the help of God and others to do my best to serve during my reign.

Have a great week, everyone!


Ruby B. Johnson
Your Miss Sierra Leone USA


SOURCE:
Life DePICted Photography

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