Young Liberian Summit

   This past weekend I was in Chicago for the Young Liberian Summit which I was honored to be a part of. As I sat there listening to the discussions and presentations it dawned on me how much I have been disconnected from my culture. Although many topics such as leadership ( my area), Education, Health and Technology were presented, my favorite topic presented was Culture. As a leader I believe being connected with one's culture is very important to self discovery. How can you lead people when you don't know who you are? My mom always told me Ma-Gueh in order for you to know where you're going always keep in mind where you come from. Where did I come from many of you may be asking. I was raised in the village of Nimba county in Liberia with no access to electricity, light, clean water whatsoever I have today. growing up we were in between Ivory Coast and Liberia because of the civil war Liberia was enduring during the 90s and early 2000s.
    Growing up like many Liberians we had to struggle for survival and hiding in the deepest parts of the forest to make sure the rebels did not get a hold of us. Being uprooted did not only pushed us back in terms of education but many of the children were forced to grow up as their families were murdered left with no one to look after them. I can not share everything that happened to me and my family on this blog but one question that one of the participants at the summit asked that I struggled with the most when I first came to the US and I believe most Liberian youth struggle with is how do we go from being the victim to being a survival? With our childhood being stripped away from us at the sound of AK47s how do you overcome that? How do you move past those horrible images of your family being killed in front of you. And if you were a child soldier how do you move past the killer mindset which was engraved in you at the age of 12 or even younger?. One way that can be done is by accepting that it was apart of your life. Accepting that all those events that happened in your past was not your fault and that you are not the one to blame. Be proud of who you have become because of your past and knowing that you have a bright future ahead of you. Also be proud of who you are not just as an individual but as a Liberian and let this pride show in everything thing you do.
   This summit was just what I needed at this stage in my life because it opened my eyes to see things in a new light and to be proud of my past, present and my future. If you were not able to attend this summer please make the effort to make it next summer as they come to Mass for the first time. It felt good hanging out with Young Liberians that were doctors, lawyers, scholars poets, public figures and many more. Next year I look forward to meeting more of you as we come together to help influence each other to not only make a difference in our lives but back home as well.