New Miss Teen Cayman Islands 2021 Asaiah Thomas on Monday was still basking in the joy of being crowned at the Saturday pageant.
“After winning Miss Teen, I’m feeling ecstatic. I’m proud of myself and how far I have come and I can’t wait to do what I have planned,” the 17-year-old told the Cayman Compass Monday after capturing the crown at the 40th annual event held at the Lions Community Centre.
Kianna Ebanks was named first runner-up and Niya Mothen second runner-up.
Thomas, who aspires to be an architect, walked away with a $54,000 two-year scholarship sponsored by the Ministry of Education, in addition to prizes from main sponsor Digicel and others.
Thomas said her Miss Teen experience was memorable.
“It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. A lot of training was done… we actually had training every day, except for when we had storm days and other events to go to. There were days when all we did was laugh and the trips were amazing,” she said.
She encouraged other teens to get involved in the pageant.
“The advice I would give to young ladies wanting to join the pageant is to be yourself. Don’t pretend to be someone you are not, you will not feel comfortable in anything that you do, and it will be a forced experience. You want to enjoy the time you have,” she said.
Thomas is currently pursuing a Cayman Islands Further Education Centre certificate in Construction Level 2 and Cayman Islands Institute of Technology Architect Technician certificate.
On Saturday, nine young women took to the stage to display their talents and poise.
This year’s theme, ‘Kaleidoscope: Past, Present and Future’, celebrated the journey of the pageant and the impact it has made in the lives of past Miss Teen winners and the community as a whole.
The annual event is hosted by the Lions Club of Grand Cayman and the Leo Club of Grand Cayman, with almost 700 people attending Saturday’s pageant.
Miss Teen Committee chair Andrea Franklin, speaking with the Cayman Compass, said she was pleased with the event and the impact it continues to make in empowering young Caymanian women.
“Lions and Leos pulled together to make this an amazing show. It was indeed a great and memorable experience for the girls… with nine different personalities and diverse backgrounds,” she said.
The nine participants, she said, was the highest number of contestants for the pageant.
“There was positive feedback from parents and contestants themselves. Miss Teen Cayman Islands is a constant developing project and we (the Lions) continue to learn to perfect until the Leos are comfortable enough to take over,” she added.
Franklin said prospective Leos and Lions Lisa Clarke, Monique Myers and Joan West served as committee members and chaperones during practices.
She also expressed gratitude to Toastmaster Kim Connolly who dedicated her time for the last two months to train the teenagers.
Miss Teen Cayman Islands 2020 Jada Bodden took her final walk on the stage before passing the crown to Thomas.
The other contestants in the were Leah Robinson, Destiny Dalley, Dashante McLaughlin-Richards, Destiny Williams, Lexi Gould and Ariana Thomas.
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