Prime Minister, the Hon. Philip Davis was the keynote speaker at the 5th Annual Bahamas Diaspora Independence Awards Dinner held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Miami, Florida over the weekend.

Mr. Davis told attendees, “greatness can often be found in the stories that might never make headlines. The teacher who stays behind late to help her students. The nurse who cares for her community thousands of miles away while proudly wearing a Bahamian pin. The entrepreneur who creates a business abroad and gives another Bahamian their very first opportunity. The parent who raises children overseas but makes sure they know the islands their family calls home. These stories matter because nation building has never only been about buildings and roads, nation building is about people.”

This year’s honourees were: Royal Caribbean Group President, Philip Simon; former NASA Rocket Scientist, Aisha Bowe; City of Miramar Commissioner, Avril Cherasard; Florida Memorial University Dean of Business and Aeronautical Science, Dr. Vena Symonette-Johnson; Microblink Chief Executive Officer, Hartley Thompson; and Sol Petroleum Vice President of Operations, Keith Glinton.

The event was organized by The Bahamas Diaspora Association and Royal Caribbean International.