Miss Sierra Leone USA Leads Health and Wellness Workshop At 2014 AIRF Youth ArtBeat Summer Program

Hello world!!!

I hope you and yours are doing well. I've been very busy but happy, thanks be to God! This summer has been full of adventures for me, and I have been loving every minute of it. It has been such an adventure that I'm actually behind on blogging, but I'll be doing catch-up in the upcoming days to let all of you know what I've been doing. A couple days ago, I led a Health and Wellness workshop for students in the African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation's (AIRF) 2014 Youth ArtBeat Summer Week program.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson with AIRF 2014 Youth ArtBeat Summer Week Program students

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson leading a Health and Wellness workshop

This Summer Week group involved students in Elementary, Middle, and High School. I had so much fun with the kids, and it is always a pleasure serving AIRF, and recollecting on the days I was in the Catching Up Program back in High School. Our conversation involved health, fitness, hygiene, and the importance of positive and healthy image.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson leading Health and Wellness workshop

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson leading Health and Wellness workshop

Most of the students in the Summer Program I had the opportunity to meet a couple months ago at the AIRF 2014 Youth Awards. As you may know from my many past posts, I've spoken fondly of AIRF and as an alumnus of the Catching Up Program, it is always a pleasure to give back to the current students.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson leading Health and Wellness workshop

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson with AIRF 2014 Youth ArtBeat Summer Week Program students

When You Believe Foundation, Inc. Founder/CEO and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson

T-shirt: When You Believe Foundation, Inc.

There's nothing more important than our good health - that's our principal capital asset. - Arlen Specter

Ruby B. Johnson,

Your Miss Sierra Leone USA.

REMINDER

Come out tomorrow (Saturday, August 16th) and watch me and the amazing cast in our live stage performance in the classic Sierra Leonean play, Cry of the Country Virgin.

CRY OF THE COUNTRY VIRGIN

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Miss Sierra Leone USA Attends 2014 African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation's Youth Awards

Hello world!!!

I hope you and yours are doing well. I've been very busy academically and professionally lately, but happy. A couple Fridays ago, I attended African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation's (AIRF) 13th Annual Youth Awards Ceremony. I shared my personal story as a former student, and the impact AIRF's Catching Up Program (CUP) had on me during and post-high school. Also, I presented awards to recipients of the Cultural Heritage Award and Academic Excellence Award. Being an alumnus, an event like this is close to my heart and personal platform as Miss Sierra Leone USA of SHERO, specifically advocating for service and education.

Dr. Wanjiru "Mama" Kamau (Founder of African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation) and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson

In the photo above, I am seen affectionately hugging Dr. Wanjiru Kamau, who we loving call Mama Kamau. Mama Kamau is the Founder of the African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation, and has been a mother to all of us in the AIRF-CUP. She is one of my role models and forever mentor. If you will like to know about my personal story regarding AIRF and more information about this wonderful organization and their programs, read the post I wrote few months ago when I hosted their 2013 End-of-Year Youth Conference.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson

Along with my invitation as an AIRF-CUP alumnus, I was asked to speak about what AIRF meant to me when I was in High School and how it affected me after I graduated from high school years ago. At the event, I shared my personal story as a former student and the impact AIRF's Catching Up Program (CUP) had on me during and post-high school. I spoke about the importance of service and mentoring, and how AIRF is an organization that truly justifies these two things. I spoke about how each member of AIRF assisted me in a variety of ways, especially Miss Bertha Hyera (former AIRF-CUP youth coordinator) and Mama Kamau. In addition to my personal story and advice for the students, three other alumni and my friends spoke about their experiences and gave remarkable advice.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson

In addition to my speech, I was asked to present awards to recipients of the Cultural Heritage Award and Academic Excellence Award in the AIRF Catching Up program. Recipients were girls and boys in Elementary, Middle, and High School.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson and Ms. Sohna Oulare (AIRF-CUP student and Miss Guinee North America 2013 finalist)

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson presenting the Cultural Heritage Award

The Cultural Heritage Award went "to students who carry with them an obvious pride for their cultural heritage. Whether they are entering pageants to be the youth representative of their country of origin, writing poems to educate others about their country, have learned to read, write and speak in their language, can remember and name more African countries then their peers on any given day, or speak proudly of their heritage, lineage or countries’ foods, these children have all shown what it means to be proud of one’s culture."

Adorable Moment of the Night!
Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson receives a hug from Cultural Heritage Award recipient

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson and Cultural Heritage Award recipient

In the last two photos, I am pictured with the youngest winner of the Cultural Heritage Award, and second youngest winner of the night overall. I also had the pleasure of sitting on the same table with him and his mother. He is very deserving of this award; such a smart and sweet boy!

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson and attendees

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson and attendees

Below are photos of some of me presenting the Academic Excellence Award to the many recipients. This Award was given to "students who have a GPA of 3.0 and above." Congratulations again to these remarkable and smart students!

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson presenting the Academic Excellence Award

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson presenting the Academic Excellence Award

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson presenting the Academic Excellence Award to Miss Berkit

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson presenting the Academic Excellence Award

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson presenting the Academic Excellence Award

After all the music, dance performances, documentary viewing, speeches, Award presentations, and delicious dining, we had the opportunity to mix and mingle with students, parents, mentors, and AIRF Board members. Overall, I had an amazing evening with good company, good food, and many laughs. It's always a pleasure seeing familiar faces and getting to know new people.

Left-Right:
Ms. Asteria Hyera (AIRF-CUP Youth Coordinator), Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson, and Ms. Gathoni Kamau (daughter of AIRF Founder, Dr. Wanjiru Kamau)

Sierra Leonean Sisters
Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson and Miss Haja Kalokoh (beautiful singer, AIRF-CUP student, and current student at my high school Alma Mater)

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson and event keynote speaker Ms. Rahama Wright (President/CEO of Shea Yeleen)

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson and Miss Pamela (AIRF-CUP student)

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson and Mr. Freddy Possian (friend since High School days)

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson and Miss Adja Koite of Her Right To Literacy (friend since High School days)

Mama Kamau and Her Legacy
Ms. Asteria Hyera, Mr. Freddy Possian, Mama Kamau, Miss Adja Koite, and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson

Below is a photo I took with members of Parkwood All-Stars dance group. They're a group of talented, beautiful, and smart girls in the African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation's Catching Up Program, and currently in Middle School. After taking this group photo with them, they all wanted to wear my crown. So I decided to crown all of them and other girls at the event, one at a time, a 'Miss' of their various countries of origin.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson and Parkwood All-Stars dance group

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson crowning a princess from Ethiopia

There she is... Miss Ethiopia 2014 (unofficial) while she does her queenly wave. As you can see in the photo above, Miss Berkit is truly an African Queen!

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson crowning a princess from Liberia

There she is... Miss Liberia 2014 (unofficial). As you can see the beautiful smile in the photo above, Miss Sandra is truly an African Queen!

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson crowning a princess from Ethiopia

There she is... Miss Ethiopia 2014 (unofficial). As you can see the beautiful smile in the photo above, she's truly an African Queen!

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson crowning a princess from Liberia

There she is... Miss Liberia 2014 (unofficial). As you can see the beautiful smile in the photo above, she's truly an African Queen!

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson crowning a princess from Ethiopia

There she is... Miss Ethiopia 2014 (unofficial). As you can see the beautiful smile in the photo, she's truly an African Queen! Last but not least, there she is... Miss Guinea 2014 (unofficial). As you can see the beautiful bright smile in the photo below, she's truly an African Queen!

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson crowning a princess from Guinea

That's what being young is all about. You have the courage and the daring to think that you can make a difference. You're not prone to measure your energies in time. You're not likely to live by equations. - Actress and Civil Rights Actress Ms. Ruby Dee

Ruby B. Johnson,
Your Miss Sierra Leone USA.

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Photo credit:
African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation

Miss Sierra Leone USA Hosts The 2013 African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation Youth Conference

Hello world!!!

I hope you and yours are doing well. It's been a very busy couple weeks for me academically, but I'm thankful to the Almighty that all is well. Last Friday, I had the honor of hosting the 11th Annual African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation's (AIRF) Youth Leadership and Education Conference. The theme of this year's conference was "Charting a New Course in Health Education and Health behavior among African Immigrant Youth." The theme of this year's is also near and dear to my heart because my personal platform as Miss Sierra Leone is Advocating for SHERO and H stands for Health.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson

In high school, I was a student in AIRF's Catching Up Program (CUP) for African youth. One of the many things I'm grateful for this program during my high school years was that I had the opportunity to write a play for the 2007 conference and later converted it into a movie in 2008, acting with my CUP peers. CUP is a great program that was very influential in my high school experience and I am forever grateful for this program and do my best to always return and help out in any way I can as a graduate and mentor to the students now.

Mrs. Asmara Sium (Executive Director of African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation) and Miss Sierra Leone USA

Fact: The mission of the African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation (AIRF) is to facilitate the effective transition of African Immigrant to American society and to support their productive, sustainable integration into their new homeland.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson, Tambra Raye Stevenson, MS, and AIRF volunteer

I had such an amazing time from the beginning to end of the conference, and enjoyed every part of my job as the host. Opening the conference was Pages Matam, a multidimensional tourist artist originally from Cameroon. Pages did two spoken-word performances, one about rice and the other about his love and respect for his mother. Both poems were amazing, but I truly enjoyed his performance about rice. As a big lover of rice, I agreed on everything he said and the Sierra Leonean in me is forever thankful for rice. The conference consisted of several workshops discussing health-related topics relevant to the lives of the attendees and their loved ones.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson having fun with the students

The "Becoming American" workshop was moderated by Ms. Julian B. Kiganda of Bold and Fearless, and the panel consisted of Loy Azalia, MA (Ugandan); Ndinda Rebekah Ngewa, MPH (Kenyan and Nigerian); and Nana Brantuo, current PhD candidate (Sierra Leonean and Ghanaian) and creator of The New African blog. The "What's Eating You" workshop was done by Tambra Raye Stevenson, MS; Tambra is the Founder of Nativsol Kitchen. The "Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll" workshop was done by Ms. Omonigho Ufomata and Adedotun Ogunbajo, MHS; this panel discussion consisted of discussions of sexual identity, cultural identity, and pop culture. The "Hey Doc, Am I Crazy?" workshop was conducted by Akua Asara, M.D., Dr. Shirley Pierre Roberson, and Dr. Theodore Osuala; the main discussion with this panel was on mental health.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson doing the azonto dance moves

All work and no play makes Miss Sierra Leone USA a dull queen. In the photo above, I was showing the students some of my azonto dance moves. Towards the end of the conference after the high school students did a wonderful performance, attendees were invited to dance and celebrate the successful outcome of the conference. Being that my nickname is "Sampa" (due to my love for dancing), I had to put aside my task as host and show some of the students my Salone and African dancing skills in my heels and sash!!!

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson having fun with the students

Group photo of some of the students, mentors, teachers, speakers, etc. at this year's conference

Overall, I had a great time with the students and I'm humbled to have served as the host. I learned a lot from each workshop, and I know the students did as well. Like I previously stated, I am very grateful for the services and resources the African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation provides, and I know the impact they made in my life is being made in the lives of the current students as well. S in my personal platform (Advocating for SHERO) stands for Service and this organization is one of the first that taught me the power and importance of serving one's community. If you would like to contribute by serving as a volunteer or make a donation, please visit the AIRF website.

I AM AFRICA!!!
Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson

Ruby B. Johnson,
Your Miss Sierra Leone USA.

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Photo courtesy:

African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation

Miss Sierra Leone USA Attends 2013 Yengema Descendants Association Fundraiser

Hello world!!!

Hope you and yours are doing well. I've been busy and happy, thanks to the Almighty. This past Friday, I attended the inaugural Annual Fundraising Dance by the Yengema Town Descendants Association - USA. According to the President of YDA-USA, Alhaji Sheku Kakay, the purpose of this event was to raise funds that will be used to "support children of Yengema" in getting better education. Besides raising funds for such a great cause, the event was full of laughs, food, and dancing; I was warmly welcomed by the YDA-USA members and humbled by the love they showed me; thank you  YDA-USA for the VIP treatment you gave to your Miss Salone!

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson

Alhaji Sheku Kakay (President of Yengema Town Descendants Association - USA)
and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2012-2014 Ruby B. Johnson

Fact: Yengema is a town in Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The major industry in and around Yengema is diamond mining. The town is home to Yengema Airport, the main airport serving Kono District. During the civil war (1991-2002) in Sierra Leone, Yengema was heavily destroyed and constantly fought over due to the rich diamond reserves in the town. This forced many of the residents to flee. Yengema has several primary schools and the town is home to the Yengema Secondary School (widely known as 'YSS'), which is one of the most widely known secondary schools in Sierra Leone.

Left-Right:
YDA-USA member, Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson,
Ms. Nyama Deen (YDA-USA member & Event MC), and Mr. Deen (YDA-USA member)

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson and
Miss Joanna Arku (Designer and Fashion Expert)

The former civil war in Sierra Leone and its effects in Yengema Town is the primary reason this event was held. Primary and secondary schools were destabilized during this time, and the effects are still visible in the community. Being that my platform as Miss Sierra Leone USA is Advocating for SHERO and one of the pillars is Education, I found this event to be very relevant. During the event, Ms. Nyama Deen recognized me (one of the best introductions I've ever heard - thank you Ms. Deen), and I had an opportunity to speak to the crowd about my platforms (Advocating for SHERO, Advocating for the recruitment and retention of girls/women in STEM fields), the importance of education, my recent Salone Homecoming Trip, importance of culture, my experience in mining and minerals engineering, and many more.

Beautiful Sierra Leonean women in elegant afrikanas on the dance floor!

The dance floor!

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson and
Mrs. Mariatu Kakay (Wife of YDA-USA President)

The YDA-USA Annual Fundraiser was a great time to celebrate the culture and lives of the people of Yengema Town, and Sierra Leone heritage. Although I am unsure of the total amount that was raised at the end of the event, I am happy to say that there were exorbitant amount of monetary donations made throughout the night by individuals and other ethnic group organizations.


Ruby B. Johnson,
Your Miss Sierra Leone USA.

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