Who will be crowned Miss East Coast 2022?
Izannah Roberts
Izannah Roberts

THIS year’s Miss East Coast Pageant will be held tomorrow at Tipperary Hall in Buxton, and is expected to be a very competitive affair.

Naomi Parris recently spoke with nine of the delegates and this is what they had to say about themselves and their future plans.

Delegate #1- Miss Melanie, Izannah Roberts
“At 21 years old, I can say proudly that I have achieved a lot despite …a host of trials and tribulations. Through those lows, being the tough and resilient young woman that I am, I have been able to ‘rise like a phoenix.’ I do believe that these blessings and positives in my life have a lot to do with the village from which I came; the strong, positive, and die-hard vibes that emanate from each resident of Melanie. My platform is mental health. My platform can appeal to my villagers and others so that they can understand that it’s okay to take a break, to unwind and to rest so that you can take care of your mind, soul and body.”

Delegate #2- Miss Turkeyen, Latonyia Williams
“I am 26-year-old Latonyia Nikketa Williams. A woman of beauty, integrity, equality and modesty, who continues to be led forth into ever widening pastures by her continued intellectual growth. I am a proud Guyanese woman who stands tall to represent the most educated village – Turkeyen. As a peace ambassador and an entrepreneur who is making strides in the field of health, I am determined to contribute to the overall growth and development of my beloved country Guyana by using my talent to bring people and nature together. Strongly upholding my platform, forest conservation, our dreams will not only come alive but flourish. As an ardent advocate of forest conservation, I would use my platform to bring about positive changes to my community by ensuring its health, social, economic, and environmental benefits are maintained. Also, I would implement a youth conserving and planting exercise (YCAPE) programme so that the youths of today can, not just learn how to conserve, but also learn to gain financial benefits.”

Delegate #3- Miss Buxton, Nutanda Blair
“I am Nutanda Blair, a dynamic and resilient 20-year-old graduate student of Josel Educational Institution, who is currently studying to become a pediatrician. The platform I was given is ethnic marginalisation. If given the opportunity to use my platform to bring about a positive change in my community, I would collaborate with the Ministry of Education and the Region Four Education Department to get permission to go into schools to bring awareness on my topic so that we can educate the young minds on how to eradicate this phenomenon and line of thought.”

Delegate #4 – Miss Annadale, Qweiasha Sealey
“My name is Qweiasha Akalya Sealey, a proud 17-year-old who was born and raised in the village that is known for its market rush, Annandale. I attended the Bladen Hall Multilateral Secondary School and will be pursuing studies at the Guyana Nursing School because I love to help and care for persons. My platform is bullying in schools. Bullying is a repeated aggressive behaviour towards an individual. While bullying can be persistent, it can be so subtle that teachers are not aware of it. If I am to be crowned this year’s Miss East Coast, I will use my platform to connect with mostly students. I will set up small non-governmental workshops so that they won’t feel left out and will also feel equally loved…so that bullying would be eradicated from the school.”

Delegate #5 – Miss Friendship, Shakell Lewis

“Beautiful, bold, and optimistic are just a few of the words I would use to narrate myself. I am Miss Shakell Tatiana Lewis representing the village of Friendship that was well known for its sugar cane production. If I am to be crowned Miss East Coast 2022, to bring to life my platform – cultural art form – I would first like to refurbish our Friendship library where residents of Turkeyen all the way to Ann’s Grove can have access to it, enabling us to expound on our knowledge of our own history.”

Delegate #6 – Miss Vigilance, Alicia Baptiste
“I am Alicia Baptiste, an industrious and dedicated 19-year-old, who has just completed [her] secondary education at the Bladen Hall Multilateral School. My wish is to pursue studies at the University of Guyana, while attending the Cyril Potter College of Education. I have a passion for teaching and I want to share my knowledge with the future generation. The platform I was given to analyse is sea defence. If I’m given the opportunity to use my platform to bring about a positive change in my community, I will go house-to-house educating persons, both old and young, about the sea defence and the importance of it to all of us. I will encourage persons to come out and assist in cleaning the seawall [area] and planting mangroves. I believe they [mangroves] are as important to us as anything else in the world.”

Delegate #7 – Miss Enmore, Nikeesha Baksh
“Driven by the desire to achieve great things, I am delegate number seven, Miss Nikeesha Baksh. Buoyant, avid, and charismatic are just some of my many traits. I strongly believe in preparing our children for the future without the need for class competition. Thus, my platform is grade retention in schools. Winning the Miss East Coast title will be more than a face to me…I intend to make a substantial impact on my community to improve and educate as many young people as possible.”

Delegate #9 – Miss Paradise, Travina Durant
“Who am I? I am a showstopping beauty with a mind like no other. After my
time in college, I decided I wanted to further my education. At the time classes were being offered online. This was how I began my psychology journey. My platform is information and communication technology (ICT) and it’s a platform which I hold dear to my heart as I was once a ‘tech’ student. If given the opportunity to become this year’s Miss East Coast queen, I am going to work diligently with the Ministry of Education and small organisations to have technology-based classes offered in my village and other villages along the East Coast for those persons who may be interested in expanding their intellect, but may not have the funds to do so on their own.”

Delegate #10 – Miss Ann’s Grove, Younette Stephney
“Introducing the spectacular Miss Ann’s Grove, a beautiful young lady who goes by the name Younette Stephney. Miss Ann’s Grove is a 23-year-old, a mother of one, a teacher at the Vryhied’s Lust Primary School and a student at the Cyril Potter College of Education. I wish to one day hold a degree in early childhood development, a degree in education, and a master’s in education. Miss Ann’s Grove stands with the platform eco-tourism, which simply means, ‘responsible travel to natural areas that conserve the environment, sustain the wellbeing of local people and involve interpretation and education.’ This platform also touches on the educational aspect in which I will be involved and which I have a passion for. If crowned queen, I hope to use my influence to assist with eco-tourism in Guyana and be a part of that great journey.”

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