A native Liberian, Bai Sama Gwenning Best ’01 has lived much of his life in exile. Civil war forced his family to seek refuge in Gambia in 1990, where they stayed four years until a military coup uprooted them again. After 10 years in the United States, Bai finally returned to Liberia in 2005 hoping to open a performing arts academy. “When I saw the destruction and social degradation from our 14-year civil war, I realized the performing arts academy could wait,” he says. “We needed to ensure stability first and help promote an environment where children and families would be safe and given the opportunity to get an education — and then extra-curricular activities could follow.” 1 Column Content Background Color White Ali...