Marsha Gaye Reynolds, Miss Absolute Entertainment, one of the contestants in the Miss Jamaica Universe Pageant. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
AGE: 23
HEIGHT: 5' 7"
OCCUPATION: Radio producer
SPONSOR: Miss Villagio Gaming
Gleaner: Why did you decide to enter the competition?
Sanique Vaccianna: Well, at first an organiser of the event called me and asked me if I would enter. I hesitated, but then I was sponsored by the time I could even say no. Then I said why not, since being here it's not something I thought of. I have loved very moment and I'm glad I ended up here.
How do you plan to improve Jamaica's chances at Miss Universe?
First of all I think, even though this is quite clich, my personality alone, because I'm very outgoing, very sociable. I'm a very strong believer in Christianity and the Bible and I know and believe in the scripture that says I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me, so with my belief and working along with God I know I can do very well at Miss Universe.
What will your platform be if you win the pageant?
I have about four platforms. The first one is HIV/AIDS. You can never do enough for HIV/AIDS, especially for out children, and it concerns me that so many Jamaican children are being born with the disease. I'd like to do more to ensure that our children are not born with the disease and those who are alive can still live a normal, healthy life and not be discriminated against. I'm also concerned about our literacy rates and our computer literacy rates. It's time we have a more proactive programmes to target adults and young adults, children who are illiterate and are computer illiterate. Then I'm also very passionate about youths and the activities we have for youths.
There is hardly anything edu-cationally creative to do to keep them out of trouble. Fourth street children. Just being in Kingston alone and driving around Jamaica, you notice a lot of kids on the road. Your're not sure if they have homes, but there are too many children on the roads and I want to do something if I was Miss Jamaica Universe 2007 to make sure our kids are off the roads instead of on the road begging. It's very disheartening. It hurts, so I want to find homes to put them in and extra homes for anybody, children or adults.
How have you benefited so far from the preparations you have received during the pageant?
Oh wow, I must thank Donavon Marshal; he's our groomer. Before I came into this pageant I could not walk in a pair of heels and I've been here for two and a half weeks and I'm mastering the art of walking in heels, 'cause it is an art, and if it wasn't for Donavon I wouldn't be here. I'm also understanding more about grace and humility and being a lady and it must seem 'wow, your're a girl, you should know about being a lady', but there's a difference between being a lady and being female or being a lady and being a girl. I'm also understanding about that. I'm feeling more confident now than when I first came in. I thought I had confidence, but being here I'm feeling way more confident than before I came and I didn't think that was possible. It's a case of being among these intelligent and beautiful ladies and being trained by Jamaica's best you realise there's so much more to you, more potential. You start to feel that you can do anything. I'm just glad to be here.
What are some of your interests?
Sanique Vacianna, Miss Villagio Gaming Lounge.
SV: Audio editing, audio production and radio.
NAME: Marsha Gaye Reynolds
AGE: 22
HEIGHT: 5' 8"
OCCUPATION: Student at the New York University.
SPONSOR: Miss Absolute Entertainment
VITAL STATISTICS: 34-26- 36
Gleaner: Why did you decide to enter the competition?
MGR: Well, I've decided to enter so I can be a better ambassador for Jamaica, so I can meet new and interesting people. I was also looking for a change, something different and more challenging, 'cause I know that entering a beauty pageant like this is not an easy task. From day one I'm a person who loves a challenge.
How do you plan to improve Jamaica's chances at Miss Universe?
Well, Miss Universe takes an embodiment of not only beauty but intelligence and character, and I know it has to do with being a good role model for young girls especially. I was told by a lot of people that I have the faculty for meeting people from different walks of life, and I'll use that strength to go around and encourage others to be proactive in social and economical develop-ment on the research of HIV/AIDS and other issues that are going on.
What will your platform be if you win the pageant?
I would like to focus on the youths. I think that men especially are too marginalised instead of being academically empowered or having a better self development. I think they stay towards the inner city and that is why crime and violence is always increasing. What I'll try to do is find a better strategy where the youths can get a better chance and not to only be interested in education, but to also be enthusiastic about it, because in the universities we have more females than males. I'll try my best to make sure men are equally qualified as females, so they can stand up and be the leader.
What does the Miss Jamaica Universe pageant say about the role of women in society?
Women are supposed to be strong. Women in particular in a beauty pageant are not only beautiful, but they also have something to put on the table. They have substance, they're intelligent and they can also help young girls to develop their self-esteem and be more confident in everything that they do. People see us and think we're all about beauty, but it's about being intellectual, intellec-tually inclined. When we're on the platform to motivate young girls we have to do our best to help them.
How have you benefited so far from the preparations you have received during the pageant?
First and foremost they help me to prepare myself mentally to keep up on current affairs - what goes in Jamaica. I don't live in Jamaica, I live in New York, so one of the most important things I have to do is to keep up to date in what goes on - crime, violence, taxes, everything that goes on. I also try my best to keep in shape, go to the gym, be healthy on the inside and outside.
What are some of your interests?
MGR: Writing sonnets. I enjoy writing prose and poetry, going to museums, musicals, Broadway shows. I love children; every now and then I go to a home or orphanage cause I've always had a soft spot for kids. I love travelling and I love to shop.
