BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – REIGNING National Carnival Queen 2010-2011 and Miss Carival 2011-2012 Iantavian Queeley left the Federation today (July 25) for Antigua to compete in the Jaycees Caribbean Queen Pageant.
In Antigua, Queeley will compete in two shows for the coveted title against 14 other countries.
On Wednesday (July 27) there will be a pre-show at the Sugar Ridge Resort, while the main show will be held on Friday (July 29) at the Antigua Recreation Grounds.
This is the pageant’s 50th Anniversary and the show is said to represent Caribbean unity at its highest, with the participation of women from across the region who proudly display their talents and cultural expressions.
The pageant organisers formally adopted its branded tagline, ‘Integrating the Caribbean through Pageantry’, which represents what the organisation has been doing for the past 49 years.
The 15 participating countries including St. Kitts and Nevis are: Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Curacao, St. Lucia, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Montserrat and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The contestants will be judged in five segments - Interview, Swimwear, Performing Talent, Evening Wear and Best Dress.
Antigua and Barbuda have dominated the pageant, having won it on 16 occasions, while Dominica has six wins and Trinidad and Tobago and St. Lucia tied on five.
St. Kitts and Nevis was victorious in the pageant in 1984 when it was won by Ithlane Archibald and in 2001 by Nicole Gumbs.
Queeley, who recently won the Miss Carival Pageant in St. Vincent, will once again be accompanied by her chaperone Ozelle Martin of Glittering Reign Pageant Coaching and Consulting in Antigua.
In a questionnaire-style bio-data featured on the Jaycees Caribbean Pageant, Queeley states that the West Indian she most admires is her father Ian Queeley, who is also an Assistant Commissioner in the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force with responsibility for Crime.
She stated: “My father’s career path is an illustration of the art of determination. He came from humble beginnings, as he was a bartender and gardener. He then joined the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, where he quickly rose through the ranks at a young age because of his will and desire to succeed at any task upon which he embarks. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and studied at the FBI Academy. Today, he continues to instill in me the values that ensured his success as an individual.”
Queeley also said that in the next five years she envisions herself as the Director of her own performing arts school after acquiring a Bachelor’s degree in Musical Theatre.
