Miss St Catherine Festival Queen to use platform to push agriculture
Published:Wednesday | July 3, 2024 | 12:08 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
On the lawns of Eltham High School in Spanish Town, the annual Miss St Catherine Festival Queen pageant took centre stage as not just a celebration of culture, but a testament to the strength and resilience of women from all walks of life.
At the end, it would be 23-year-old agronomic engineer Shahida Grant who would be named the winner, an announcement met with a roar of applause. Outgoing queen Aundrene Cameron became emotional as her pre-recorded farewell speech played. She crowned the second runner-up, 22-year-old Samantha McLeod, and first runner-up, 25-year-old educator Brianna Miller.
Grant, after accepting the crown, told The Gleaner that her journey, like her fellow contestants, was one of hard work, dedication, and unwavering belief in herself. “All the ladies who entered the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen contest all epitomise what true womanhood should look like, and I wanted to be a part of this movement,” she said.
Grant pledged to use her platform to enhance agriculture among young children, implementing programmes like containerised gardening and hydroponic systems in schools. “Being a proponent of agriculture and a woman who believes in farming, my next course of action within the parish will be to implement programmes ... so students at the grassroots level can understand the importance of agriculture.”
She walks away with sectional prizes of Most Poised, Best Performance, Most Involved in the Community and Most Culturally Aware.
Her parents, Everton Grant and Euleta Slowden, were overjoyed. “Goose pimples were all over me, I had no doubt she would have won,” said her father. “I followed her progress so there was no doubt in my mind that she would win the title,” Slowden added.
The journey to the Miss St Catherine Festival Queen crown began months before the grand finale, with seven contestants participating in cultural awareness and community service projects. These women were not merely competing for a title; they were on a mission to become role models and advocates for change.
Vennassa Patterson, parish manager for the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), described the journey as one involving putting out the best. “This competition at all times wants us to do our best to bring out and select more talented, culturally aware, and intelligent ladies for community development,” Patterson told The Gleaner.
She attributed the success of the pageant since 2019, when St Catherine broke a long hiatus and brought home the national title which the parish has not relinquished since, to the involvement of dedicated sponsors and new ones she has targeted.
On Saturday, the evening commenced with the introduction of the contestants, each radiating confidence and poise in stunning evening gowns. The panel of judges observed keenly, looking for a unique blend of cultural awareness, poise, and intelligence.
The talent segment showcased the diverse abilities of the participants, from captivating speeches and drama performances to soul-stirring vocal renditions and thought-provoking dub poetry. This segment highlighted the importance of inner strength and creativity.
The question-and-answer segment was perhaps the most impactful moment of the evening. Here, the finalists articulated their thoughts on pressing social issues such as climate change, gender equality, and mental health awareness. Their responses were a testament to their intelligence, eloquence, and deep understanding of the world around them.