Adorned in a Statue of Liberty outfit for her job at Liberty Tax, DE'Erica Waggener, a Centralia 19-year-old, waves at passersby as on Main Street in Centralia on Tuesday afternoon.
Adorned in a Statue of Liberty outfit for her job at Liberty Tax, DE'Erica Waggener, a Centralia 19-year-old, waves at passersby as on Main Street in Centralia on Tuesday afternoon.
Adorned in a Statue of Liberty outfit for her job at Liberty Tax, DE'Erica Waggener, a Centralia 19-year-old, poses for a picture on Main Street in Centralia on Tuesday afternoon.
A woman pushing a child in a stroller walks by, DE'Erica Waggener, a Centralia 19-year-old, wearing a Statue of Liberty outfit for her job at Liberty Tax as she waves at passersby as on Main Street in Centralia on Tuesday afternoon.
Adorned in a Statue of Liberty outfit for her job at Liberty Tax, DE'Erica Waggener, a Centralia 19-year-old, waves at passersby as on Main Street in Centralia on Tuesday afternoon.
Adorned in a Statue of Liberty outfit for her job at Liberty Tax, DE'Erica Waggener, a Centralia 19-year-old, waves at passersby as on Main Street in Centralia on Tuesday afternoon.
Five hours a day, six days a week, DE’Erica Waggener takes on Harrison Avenue’s tired, poor and huddled masses with seemingly boundless energy.
You’ve probably seen her, the Statue of Liberty who works Liberty Tax’s midday shift. She’s the one with the huge smile who gets down to the music in her head for each passing car.
If the 19-year-old’s positivity seems authentic, that’s because it actually is.
“I’m naturally energetic and a strong believer. I got a lot of joy and inspiration and vision and hope,” Waggener said. “It doesn’t get tiring. I just go out there, and I kind of release thanksgiving and express myself and my gratitude.”
Waggener relocated to Centralia from Texas about two years ago in order to “pursue my faith and get out of my environment,” she said. Since moving, she has taken classes at Centralia College, worked at a local fast food restaurant and joined the community at the Open Bible Church on Mellen Street.
Waggener was on her way to her fast food job two months ago when she stopped by Liberty Tax to ask a financial question. That’s when she learned about being a waver, and decided to try it out.
She took to the job — particularly the way it allowed her to express herself freely — almost immediately.
And before long, the Centralia community had taken to her.
Waggener has received numerous compliments, three job offers and gifts, including jewelry and roses, she said.
Her employer, Liberty Tax, also has received positive feedback, according to Office Manager Denise Williams.
“We get calls, on a pretty regular basis, from people saying they saw her out there and she’s doing a wonderful job,” Williams said. Waggener, as well as Liberty’s five other wavers, bring in a large portion of the tax preparation firm’s clients, Williams added.
But Waggener won’t be a Harrison Street presence forever. The seasonal job began on Jan. 13 and will end on April 15.
Luckily, Waggener has those three job offers. And even better, Waggener said, is the drive she now has to pursue her dreams.
“This may not be full time,” she said, “but this inspiration I have, I want to go all the way with it.”
