Stephanie Gibson’s Fight Against Plastic Pollution | News

Long before Stephanie Success Gibson took the stage to present her winning research project at the Miss Inter-University Liberia (MIUL) beauty pageant, she was an outspoken advocate for solving one of Liberia’s biggest environmental hurdles: plastic pollution.

Reducing plastic waste has been a central focus of Gibson’s journey. As a beauty queen, she brings this passion to every stage she walks on—expressing her message through her fashion choices, cultural performances, and public advocacy. The 24-year-old senior student at the African Methodist Episcopal University (AMEU) remains focused on a single mission: shifting public perception so people no longer view plastic waste as useless trash but as a resource.

Kick-off in 2025, the MIUL is a non-bikini, research-oriented pageant designed to help Gibson and her fellow contestants excel both professionally and intellectually. Each contestant is assigned a research topic worth 40 points—the single highest portion of the 100 total points required to become a queen. 

Stepping beyond her comfort zone, Gibson formulated her research topic and questions, determined population demographics, and defined her sample size with guidance from a research director provided by the pageant. She set out to investigate why plastic waste continues to overflow in the streets despite the presence of local recycling companies. 

Her paper was titled “Challenges Faced by Recycling Companies in Mitigating Plastic Pollution: A Case Study of Selected Recycling Companies in Montserrado County.”

“Plastic pollution is a major environmental problem,” Gibson told the judges and audience during her presentation at the grand finale. “It does not just affect Liberia; it affects countries around the world.”

Using a mixed quantitative and qualitative approach, Gibson’s study gathered data through structured questionnaires administered to recycling management, field operators, and regulators from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Employing a census methodology to survey the targeted organization population, she interviewed representatives from 11 out of 15 local sachet water recycling companies in Montserrado County.

Her findings revealed that 14.2% of Montserrado County’s municipal waste consists of sachet water plastics, driven by high demand for affordable drinking water paired with inadequate disposal systems. The research highlighted that local recycling plants operate below capacity largely because households do not segregate their waste.

Specifically, 73.3% of surveyed companies cited inadequate equipment as a primary operational bottleneck, 66.7% pointed to poor municipal waste management, and 26.7% cited low community acceptance of recycled products as a key challenge.

“Plastic pollution is a major environmental problem, but recycling makes it easier to control,” Gibson stated during her conclusion. “These recycling companies need targeted support to expand their efforts.”

To address these hurdles, Gibson outlined actionable recommendations across four key sectors: adopting responsible disposal practices and participating in education campaigns focused on waste segregation. Municipal authorities should upgrade waste management infrastructure and strictly enforce disposal regulations. Government regulators strengthen policy frameworks, provide tax incentives for recyclers, and enforce Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Recycling companies invest in modern processing technology and expand local collection networks.

During the Q&A defense, one judge asked, “How will you prioritize these recommendations for maximum impact?”

“It is very simple,” Gibson replied. “Most often people look straight to the government, but I believe collective community effort brings the fastest results. I would prioritize community education on waste segregation. If residents manage their waste at the household level, they give recycling companies raw material to produce new goods while immediately protecting their local environment.”

Overcoming the Odds

Competing in MIUL requires balancing academic rigor with public support. The research presentation carries 40 total points—10 points for the written paper and 30 points for the oral defense, which includes a timed 12-minute presentation, an 8-minute defense, and two direct questions from judges. A $200 award is reserved for the contestant who earns the highest score in this category.

Despite facing financial difficulties during the pageant—including struggling to fund her wardrobe—Gibson delivered an outstanding performance on presentation night, earning 34 out of 40 points for her research. 

While she did not rank among the top three in the fan-voting category, her strong academic defense immediately upgraded her position to the top three, where she was announced as the 1st runner. Miss Richedna Tobii from Starz University was crowned Miss Inter-University Liberia 2026/2027, winning the grand prize of a vehicle and 100,000 Liberian dollars. Gibson was awarded 75,000 Liberian dollars, plus a US$200 for her winning research paper.

Turning Desire into Action

Gibson’s commitment to environmentalism stems from her childhood experiences in Monrovia, where she frequently saw children playing near unmanaged garbage dumps and communities suffering from frequent flooding caused by clogged, plastic-filled drainage systems. 

Driven to create systemic change after her high school, she enrolled at AMEU to pursue a degree in Environmental Science.

While at AMEU, she competed in and won the university pageantry. “My platform was that university pageants should showcase what you are learning in your academic departments,” she explained. During that competition, she performed a spoken-word poem on recycling and wore a dress crafted entirely from recycled plastic waste, placing as first runner-up.

That experience inspired her to launch Eco-Stylish, a local recycling brand that upcycles plastic waste into durable carryout bags and laptop cases. “I realized that through fashion, I could send a clear, practical message about waste reduction,” she said.

Built on Mentorship and Leadership

Gibson’s confidence on stage was built over years of public involvement. As a child, her outspoken nature attracted key mentors, most notably veteran Liberian artist and activist Miatta Fahnbulleh.

Fahnbulleh took Gibson under her wing, when her father enrolled her at Obaa’s Girls, a school founded by Fahnbulleh, established in 2005 to educate girls facing economic hardship. Recognizing Gibson’s potential, Fahnbulleh later sponsored her education at B.W. Harris Episcopal High School, where Gibson maintained high academic standing.

Through Fahnbulleh’s radio show, Let’s Talk Liberia, Gibson gained early experience behind the microphone. Fahnbulleh routinely brought her to youth, encouraging her to speak publicly and advocate for young people’s ideas.

This early exposure to leadership followed Gibson throughout her school years. In high school, after being named first runner-up in local pageant showcases, she broke barriers by running for student government at B.W. Harris. 

Despite facing gender-based skepticism from peers who viewed pageant contestants as unfit for governance, Gibson won a competitive two-round election to become the first female Student Body President of B.W. Harris.

“I have never seen pageants as just wearing dresses,” Gibson said. “I see pageantry as a platform to drive positive change—a space where women can use their voices, inspire confidence, and propose innovative solutions for national development.”