Miss SVG wins Best Talent, takes second place in regional pageant

Miss SVG 2022 Jada Ross emerged as first runner up in the Miss Caribbean Culture Queen Pageant in Nevis on August 7, with only eight points separating her from the eventual winner.

The pageant, held in Nevis as part of their carnival festivities saw the gifted 21-year-old rise above eight other competitors to capture the best talent award with her dramatic piece which sought to bring awareness to mental illness.

During an interview with SEARCHLIGHT yesterday, Ross said that the entirety of the culture pageant was “new” to her as she described it as means to promote regional integration.

She added that the experience was different to that of the Miss SVG pageant which is part of our own Vincentian culture. However, the culture queen pageant was one where the contenders “brought their own pieces to the table” and it was no longer what you can offer as a country but rather what can we offer as a region.

Ross said seeing this diversity of the different cultures was “beautiful”.

She noted that she did not have a lot of time to prepare and did not put together her talent until 10 days before the show as she had a difficult time organizing a script that best suited her. She said that this made her panic and cry, but she was able to write a script that she executed exceptionally well and this category was also the highlight of her performance.

On the night of the show, she felt “really good and excited” but extremely tired because leading up to the pageant she fell extremely ill.

She also highlighted that while her intention was to capture the crown, she felt as though she won the hearts of Vincentians more than she did for Miss SVG, and according to her, that is “very gratifying, more than anything else.’’

“I definitely felt so much pressure, but I love to perform so I knew it was going to be a good outcome whether I won or not…,” Ross said.

She feels very thankful for the “heart warming” love and support that she received and though the show was hosted in Nevis, she felt as though she never left home as she was also heavily supported by persons there.

Ross scored 1454 points overall. Miss St Thomas, Lamonee Morris placed second runner up with 1423 points and captured best evening wear and best promotional video. The crown went to Miss Guyana, Shemina Peroune who captured the first ever title for her country amassing 1462 points while walking away with best interview and miss photogenic titles. Miss Trinidad and Tobago Chronna Klan won miss congeniality and best question and answer while best swim wear went to Miss St Croix, Tatyana Massiah.