In 2022, Liberia was hype with bicentennial fever, and I was here for all of it!
From epic festivals to dope parties and dazzling galas, Liberia and the United States were ablaze with celebration, marking 200 years of history. As a proud Liberian, I couldn’t have felt more honored to be alive during this monumental moment. I (and HawAmazing Design & Stitch, LLC) was also listed in a April 2022 Proclamation Celebrating Liberia’s Bicentennial issued by the Gwinnett County Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson. We’ll get into that later.
Then came the day I received a letter that shook me to my core. It was from none other than the Liberian Crusaders for Peace, and they were letting me in on some thrilling news. Yours truly had been chosen as an award recipient, and not just any award, but the “International Young Achiever Award.“
My excitement was through the roof as I eagerly prepared to travel to Liberia during this historic bicentennial year. The first thing I did was hit up my family back in Liberia, and you can bet they were over the moon to hear I’d be coming!
Touching down in Liberia, I got the royal treatment, thanks to Ambassador Queen Juli Endee herself. There was a grand ceremony, complete with a calabash filled with rice and a kola nut. The Ambassador even blessed me with a country cloth shawl – talk about feeling like royalty!
But the surprises didn’t stop there. I was whisked away to a hotel for dinner, where I had the privilege of dining with none other than the Mayor of Monrovia, who bestowed yet another fabulous shawl upon me. It was like a fashion show of honor, if you ask me!
And then came the pièce de résistance – the Golden Image Awards BiCentennial Edition. It was every bit as glamorous as I had imagined, and I was truly humbled to be receiving awards alongside dignitaries and international leaders. Did I mention that I designed my own dress for the occasion?
But the absolute cherry on top was having my beloved family, right there in Liberia, bear witness to this extraordinary moment. My love for Liberia reached new heights that night, and I’ll forever cherish the memories of that incredible bicentennial celebration
