BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A young girl with local roots is doing her best to make the Federation proud. TaMaya Sylvester, whose grandmother hails from St. Kitts, currently resides in Ottawa and has taken the Canadian child-modelling world by storm.
The five-year-old beauty was a runway participant in the 17th annual Canadian Model and Talent Competition held earlier this year. The national competition draws aspiring models from across Canada to strut their stuff in front of international modelling agents.
TaMaya auditioned for a place in the prestigious showcase in November and was convincingly awarded a spot in the four to seven-year-old category. She wowed the judges on the night of the competition, earning the first runner-up position in a field loaded with experienced child models and actresses.
In addition to her modelling exploits, TaMaya takes Tae Kwan Do classes at the Master Kuo Martial Arts School in Ottawa, is a Pioneer Club member at her church and has participated in the Little Ms. Ottawa Afro-Caribbean Pageant.
The rising star also takes part in the Childhood Cognitive Learning Lab at the University of Ottawa. The lab conducts research on the learning patterns of young children and uses its results to publish texts and articles exploring their mental development.
Despite TaMaya’s busy life, Pearl Sylvester, her Kittitian grandmother, noted her grandchild takes the time to just be a kid.
“TaMaya loves to play with her toys, complete jigsaw puzzles, dance and act. She says she wants to be a princess when she grows up to marry her prince,” Sylvester remarked.
“She is very appreciative of her family for their support. She is especially grateful for the help she received from her great-aunt Constance Mitcham and great-grandmother Rosina Mitcham of St. Kitts.”
