Getting back to school was a very intriguing experience for Raedawn Thomas a student at the Basseterre High School. She had been looking forward to share, face to face, her eventful summer holidays with her friends. One of the intriguing stories she wishes to talk about is the exhilarating experience of being presented a ‘Certificate of Achievement’ by the Mayor of Miami Gardens in Miami Florida.
Miami Gardens is considered the largest predominantly African American city in the State of Florida. This all started when her aunt who works in the Mayor’s Office introduced her to Mayor, Shirley Gibson. Raedawn quickly took the opportunity to share one of her DVDs dubbed “Rae Girl on Stage”, a collection of her monologues. The Mayor, impressed with her work presented her a Certificate of Achievement on behalf of the City of Miami Gardens.
When asked how she feels about this recognition, Raedawn replies “I felt proud to see that I was just visiting Miami and I had the opportunity to meet the Mayor of Miami Gardens and also to receive her encouragement.
When asked about her career goal she responds, “I would like to be the first Kittitian to go to Hollywood and work as a professional actress. “
However Raedawn has only one regret, as she returns to school to join her friends in form 4 at the Basseterre High School. The Performing Arts Class which she had hoped to join because she believed it could help her to enhance her performing talent has been dropped from the Curriculum. It has just vanished in thin air. She however will continue to muster up the courage and motivation to work towards achieving her goals of performing at a professional level.
Raedawn will remember, her summer in Miami and this certificate of achievement that sits on the dresser and find the motivation to, despite the challenges, hone her skills in the area of drama.
