Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013 Homecoming - Week 1 (Part II)

Hello world!!!

Hope you and yours are doing well. I've been busy but doing fantastic, thanks to the Almighty. As promised, I'll be writing detailed blogs about my adventures during my recent homecoming trip to Salone as Miss Sierra Leone USA; read my preview blog post. On Wednesday (May 1st) morning, I had a great meeting with the Deputy Minister of Political and Public Affairs, Honorable Karamoh Kabba at his office. We discussed the goals of my Homecoming trip, and the importance of the younger generation in leading Sierra Leone’s future. With a warm welcome, he told me about the relevance of my title as Miss Sierra Leone USA and the work of MSLDC Inc., my platform of advocating for SHERO and the recruitment and retention of girls/women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields, as well as the importance of my future as a mining engineer.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013 Ruby B. Johnson and
Honorable Karamoh Kabba (Deputy Minister of Political and Public Affairs)

As a Miss Sierra Leone USA Queen who trades her crown for a hard hat as a current mining & minerals engineering student, it's always a pleasure meeting with members of the mining sector. Later this morning, I got to have a meeting with the Acting Director of Mines, Mr. Alusine Timbo, at the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources office. I spoke about my area of study and the importance of the mining sector in our country and its benefits to our nation’s economy in present and future times.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013 Ruby B. Johnson and
Mr. Alusine Timbo (Acting Director of Mines)

Later in the day, I had a warm welcome and informational meeting with Honorable Peter Bayuku Konteh (Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs) and Mr. Foday Jalloh (Director of Cultural Affairs) at the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs office. Using pageantry as a platform to showcase the history, beauty, and rich culture of Salone, as well as having "Miss Sierra Leone" titleholders in Sierra Leone & Diaspora as official ambassadors for the country were part of the conversation during our meeting.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013 Ruby B. Johnson and
Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs Honorable Peter Bayuku Konteh

Left-Right:
Mr. Foday Jalloh (Director of Cultural Affairs),
Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson, and
Hon. Peter Bayuku Konteh (Min. of Tourism and Cultural Affairs)

To end my awesome busy day, I visited Freetown's Connaught Hospital that afternoon. Led by nurses in the various sections, I interacted with patients in the female and male annexes, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ward, pediatric ward, etc. I also got to speak lengthily with the Matron of the Hospital, Matron Roselyn Momoh, about the setup and history of the hospital. She received me with a warm welcome and open arms, and we had lots of laughs together which made it a perfect way to end this day of my Miss SLUSA tour. I spoke with her about health being one of the pillars of my platform (advocating for SHERO), and the importance of accessible and affordable healthcare to all of Sierra Leone.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson in front of Connaught Hospital

Fact: Connaught Hospital is the main hospital in Freetown and is located in the city center, it is also the main referral hospital in Sierra Leone. It was initially opened in 1912 by the Duke of Connaught but was reopened by President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah in May 2006.

Matron Roselyn Momoh (Connaught Hospital) and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013

Matron Roselyn Momoh (Connaught Hospital) and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013

Matron Roselyn Momoh (Connaught Hospital) and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013

Matron Roselyn Momoh (Connaught Hospital) and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013

Matron Roselyn Momoh and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013

Matron Roselyn Momoh (Connaught Hopital) and
Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson

Overall, I had a very productive day! I am thankful and humbled for all those that opened their doors to me. I am grateful for all your service to our nation and her people. By God's grace, I will continue to make you all proud as your Miss Salone na Amerika.

Ruby B. Johnson,

Your Miss Sierra Leone USA

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