AFTER years of absence Guyana finally has a new Mash Queen. 20-year-old aspiring nurse Aquaila Rupan prevailed over five other delegates to claim the coveted crown at the Miss Mash Queen Pageant on Sunday evening at the National Cultural Centre (NCC).
Aside from winning the title, Rupan also picked up the “Best Talent,” and “Best Personality”

awards. First runner-up went to the seasoned pageant delegate Gabriella Chapman, who also won a prize for having the most ticket sales. Second runner-up was 17-year-old Younette Stepheny, who won “Best Gown” for her Nielson Nurse designed blue and white, frilled, fishtail evening gown.

However, other gowns like Chapman’s Randy Madray peach lacework dress, and Romichelle Brummel’s black and gold dress by Mark Junor also turned heads. In other awards, Ashanti Jasper secured the “Best Swim Wear” award for a lovely mint blue, strapless two-piece that Randy Madray designed just for her.
The night saw all six of the young ladies going through all of the competition’s five rounds, from the “National Costume Presentation” to the “Evening Gown” to the nervous “Question and Answer” segment. There were also the electrifying swim wear segment, and the talent division – where at least one delegate who sang struggled with her notes.
The night’s event was also punctuated with vocal performances by Charmaine Blackman, Samantha Grant, as well as cultural dances.

Rupan wowed in her costume, excited in her swim suit, dazzled in her evening gown and stood out during her talent segment, and in the end the North East La Penitence “Town girl” walked away with the win, the trophy and an undisclosed sum of cash, among other prizes including jewellery and gift vouchers.

Excelling in the other categories helped Rupan recover from her flutter in the Q&A segment where she needed to take several pauses and at times found it difficult to articulate what she wanted to say.

Nonetheless, the voluptuous Rupan, exuded the fiery nature of her “Ms. Buxton Spice” stage name. It was evident from the onset of the introduction of the young ladies, that Rupan came with her crew, with some of the loudest cheering ensuing during her segments.
And when her win was announced the NCC auditorium burst into loud applause and scream, and the emotional Rupan could not hold back her tears. “I can’t explain it, but it is an amazing feeling!” Rupan told reporters, even as many rushed to congratulate her. Rupan was just so happy to see all her hard work pay off.

“The experience taught me, definitely, to go after whatever your dream is. Once you have a dream, or you want something, you go after it don’t matter how much work it would take, you keep the determination,” Rupan advised.
With no preceding queen, Rupan was crowned by the 2015 Indigenous Heritage Queen Sherica Ambrose. Rupan had an easy time scoring big in the talent segment, where her performance was underlined by the fact that she was the only delegate who did not sing as her talent piece. The Christ Church Secondary alumna instead did an endearing spoken word piece fittingly titled “I Live Within The Queen.” Rupan performed the piece bare footed, in an all-black dress complemented with a multicolored head wrapping, and black cape that was lined with the Guyana flag on the inside.

Rupan’s wardrobe for the night was designed by her sister Natalie Thomas. She went on to make all the right moves in the swim wear division, but in the final Q&A things got a little nervy.
Each delegate was asked two questions, and put before Rupan were the questions: “Give us a small quote that keeps you going and what it means” and “Describe Mashramani comparing it to a Buxton Spice Mango,” read by the night’s host Oral Welshman.

Rupan’s quote of choice was “Eventually we’ll all end up where we’re supposed to” and she followed that up by saying: “That means to me that, at the end, at the end we will fulfill our purpose, we just have to work towards what we are, whatever we think is our purpose, and follow God, and believe in God that he will lead us to whatever our purpose is.”
Comparing Mashramani and the Buxton Spice mango, she fluttered but still managed a reply that seemed fitting. “Buxton Spice Mango is very sweet, and very spicy and it’s (sic) originated in Guyana. Mashramani is Guyanese thing, it’s spicy, it’s sweet, with all the different colours, the calypso music that we produce. It’s entertaining and very sweet to everyone.” Rupan said.