BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – BEAUTIFUL, charismatic, well-spoken and ready to take on their new roles as Ambassadors for St. Kitts and Nevis, the six young ladies who would be competing for the 2015-2016 National Carnival Queen title were officially presented to the public today (Oct 17).
The launch of the beauties took place at the Veranda Restaurant located at the Ocean Terrace Inn, in the presence of the Minister of Culture the Hon. Shawn K. Richards, Carnival Committee Chairman Noah Mills, guests and media representatives.
The contestants, in the order in which they will appear on the night of the show, are: Jaheida Lewis, Rohanda Devent, Khyla Brown, Evania Thibou, Orngel Erskine and Jahnel Nisbett.
Each of the ladies was bedecked in pink in a silent yet resounding show of support for those individuals who would have won their battle with breast cancer and also in a show of empathy to the relatives of those who did not.
Each year, the contestants of this pageant are required to select a platform on which they would focus during their preparation for and on the night of the event. Some interesting ones have been selected so much so that individuals are already surmising that this year’s pageant would be one of the most interesting.
Lewis told the media that her platform is “Women in Sports”, Devent’s is “Resource Conservation”, “Creative Entrepreneurship” is Brown’s, “Infertility” is Thibou, “the Benefits of Customer Service as it Relates to the Cruise Industry in St. Kitts” is Erskine’s and Nisbett’s is Youth Empowerment.
Chairman of the National Carnival Queen Pageant Committee Violet Williams said the ladies were chosen from a pool of 10.
All admitted that they experienced some trepidation prior to entering the pageant and even now that they are committed to it, there is still some anxiety. But they declared that the motivating factors outweighed, and in some cases, dispelled the feelings of fear.
The young women, the youngest of whom is 19, all appear to have friendly exchanges and while they wished each other well, each would still prefer to be adjudged the winner.
One of the most-anticipated events of the Carnival season, the National Carnival Queen Pageant takes place on December 27.
