Raegan Rutty, 22, from East End emerged as the winner of the Miss Universe Cayman Islands 2024 pageant in the grand finale held on Saturday night.
Sponsored by Kirk Freeport, Rutty bested five other contestants to win the title and crown on the sold-out coronation night in the Westin Hotel ballroom.
She succeeds last year’s winner, Ileann Powery, and will now prepare to compete in the 73rd Miss Universe pageant, to be held in the Arena CDMX, Mexico City, on 16 Nov., 2024.
The first and second runner-up titles went to Arin Broderick and Brianna Wilson, respectively. The contestants participated in a number of segments during Saturday night’s finale, including swimwear, evening gowns and a Q&A session.
Along with her win, Rutty also received the ‘Miss Best in Swimwear’ award, ‘Miss Best Caymankind’ award, and the ‘People’s Choice’ prize.
Tracey Campbell earned the ‘Best in Gown’ and ‘Miss Best Smile’ awards, Zhane Rambaran was recognised with the ‘Miss Social Impact’ award; Brianna Wilson won the ‘Miss Congeniality’ award, and Arin Broderick secured the ‘Miss Best in Interview’, and ‘Miss Photogenic’ awards.
After her winning moment, Rutty told the Cayman Compass, “for the first time I am speechless”.
“I have dreamed about this since I was a little girl. I am so proud to call myself a Caymanian and I’m so excited to represent my country.”
The former gymnast competed on the biggest stages in the world for 15 years, including the 2020 Olympics, the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the 2019 PanAm games, and the 2018 and 2019 World Championships. Beyond her athletic career, Rutty has earned a psychology degree.
Rutty said she channelled her athletic spirit while competing.
“There is definitely a specific mindset that you have to tap into to [have] tunnel vision, you have a job, let’s go get it done, and even though I’ve been retired for three years, I was tapping back into that throughout this entire journey of working hard, grinding, the sacrifices, but I knew that what I put in is what I got out.”
As winner, Rutty received a three-year $70,000 educational scholarship by the Ministry of Tourism and Ports, and employment for one year with the Ministry of Border Control and Labor.
When asked what happens next, Rutty said, “I go 10,000 per cent into my community. Even before this title, I’ve recognised the importance of giving back. I have had so much support and all I can do to say thank you is give back to them.”
She said, “I think it’s so important for, especially younger Caymanians, to see that you can make it big in this world. I’m a little island girl who grew up in East End, selling snapper on the side of the road and now I have a beautiful crown on my head. Truly the sky is the limit, and now I’m excited to advocate for mental health in schools and businesses, I’m excited to teach people about the Cayman Heart Foundation, but more importantly, I’m excited to be a role model and show young children that just because we come from a small country, [that] does not mean we can’t accomplish big things.”
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