Former Miss SVG contestant now radio personality in Barbados

Have you ever wondered what became of the contestants in the Miss SVG pageant, years after the show?

Well, SEARCHLIGHT caught up with the second runner-up in the Miss SVG 2005 pageant, Lakeisha Williams, to find out just what her life has been like since then.

Williams is often remembered for her talent in the show, which saw her dee-jaying her way to the Best Talent award. Along with placing second runner-up in the pageant and taking the Best Talent award, she also got the Miss Photogenic award.

Soon after the Miss SVG pageant, Williams represented SVG at the Miss Ecstasy pageant in Anguilla in 2005 and placed first runner-up. On her way to placing first runner-up, she copped the awards for Best Talent, Best Interview, Best Evening Wear and Miss Photogenic.

Before the Miss SVG show, Williams was a model with Image Modelling Agency and she has continued to model, having modelled in New York Fashion Week. Lakeisha has been on the Caribbean Next Top Model show; she was also nominated for Caribbean Model of the Year in 2007 and 2008.

She left St Vincent and the Grenadines to pursue an Associate’s Degree in Journalism at the Barbados Community College and has since then been employed in the neighbouring island. Before leaving SVG, Williams worked at the Raffles Resort in Canouan for a year and a half.

Today, Williams is making a name for herself on radio in Barbados. Although she says she never saw herself in radio, she loves her job very much.

In 2015, Lakeisha was fortunate to have been given the opportunity to work with one of the more experienced radio, announcers in Barbados, Anthony ‘The Admiral’ Nelson, for three months.

Williams says that her radio name is ‘Mishka McTair’, Mishka being her middle name and McTair, her mother’s maiden name.

Capital Media HD, a new radio station in Barbados, currently employs her; she started working the 8 p.m. to midnight shift. She now works five nights a week, from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Lakeisha notes that when she first reached out to the new radio station after hearing about them, she was told there weren’t any vacancies. She was, however, given the opportunity to be on at night because of her experience.

“I don’t ever try to hide the fact that I am Vincentian,” she said, adding that she is proud of her nationality.

“If I could put a tattoo on my forehead that says Vincentian, I’d do it.”

Lakeisha says that her ultimate job would be as an international television journalist on a major network like BET. She further states that she is currently working on a television show that hasn’t been fully conceptualized yet, but which could be considered a modernized version of ‘Caribscope’.

The former Miss SVG contestant said she is grateful for the experience and lessons she learnt from entering the Miss SVG pageant.

“Miss SVG was a really great opportunity. I’ve made some good friends and some people are surprised that we are still friends.”