Shanique Singh reflects on near two-year reign as Miss Jamaica World
Embracing new chapter as she returns to medical school
Published:Sunday | September 8, 2024 | 12:07 AMShanel Lemmie - Staff Reporter
After reigning for nearly two years as Miss Jamaica World, Shanique Singh says she has mixed feelings about moving on, calling the moment “bittersweet”.
Though crowned on December 4, 2022, it was not Singh’s first go at the pageant. She first entered Miss Jamaica World in 2016, fresh out of high school. Placing in the top five, Singh said, after that experience, she knew she would enter again, it was just a matter of when.
Six years and a global pandemic later, Singh was successful in her second attempt at the crown.
“When I was announced the winner, before I could even react, I saw my supporters in the front. My boyfriend literally jumped up in the air. That’s a scene that lives in my head rent-free. Just him jumping up. It’s not even caught on video properly but that’s one of the most memorable moments from the night.”
Further reflecting on her time in the competition she said, “It was like a huge sigh of relief for me because I entered before in 2016 and then I took a break from school in 2022 to enter the competition. So, in that moment, it was [a] huge weight off my shoulder that, ‘Yes, I finally accomplished this’. So it was [a] very proud moment for me.”
She continued, “I was very confident. To be honest, I was very confident going in because I took the decision to take a break from school, so I had a lot on the line. I didn’t want to let that break go to waste, so I made up my mind that I was going to do everything in my power to win this competition. But, truly, I still kept it in the back of my mind that anything can happen because cards can play any way. In my head, [it] was confirmed that I’m definitely going to win this title when I was announced as the Beauty with a Purpose winner on the night. Because I had won two fast-track events before, I was pretty confident about winning.”
Though Singh did not make it to the Top 40 in the 71st Miss World Pageant, she follows fellow queen Toni-Ann Singh as the second-longest reigning Miss Jamaica World.
“It’s amazing, actually. That’s another accomplishment that goes down in the books for me. I like to think it’s really crazy because I outreigned three Miss Universe [Jamaicas] and two festival queens,” she joked before continuing. “It’s just as amazing as the win itself.”
While the opportunity to represent Jamaica internationally is high on her list of achievements, Singh says she is most grateful to have made her family proud.
“Looking back I am really glad that I made them proud,” she said referring to her family. “They’re my number one supporters. I was little entering little pageants and teen pageants and they’ve always been there supporting me. It’s truly amazing how much they look up to me, especially my younger cousins.”
As she prepared to hand over her crown, Singh said she had mixed emotions.
“It’s a bittersweet moment. Bitter because I’ll never have this opportunity again but sweet because I get to move on to the next chapter of my life.”
Explaining that this reign was the result of her manifesting her dream, she said, “It might sound cliché, but you can be anything that you want to be in life. You can do anything that you want to do in life. Your dreams can never be too big because, when I decided to enter the pageant, I made up my mind that I am going to do everything in my power to win this thing. That moment that I decided that I’m going to enter, I ensured that I started to look the part. So I started [dressing] like Miss Jamaica, I started to speak like Miss Jamaica even more than I was before. I started to embody who I wanted to be and the more that you embody who you want to be and the situation that you want to be in, the more it will be attracted to you.”
ADVICE TO NEW MISS JAMAICA WORLD
Ahead of the 2024 Miss Jamaica World grand coronation, she spoke of the raw talent of the most recent batch of contestants. Her advice to the new Miss Jamaica World: make the most of this opportunity.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it’s really up to you to make your mark. It’s really up to you to make the most of it [and] meet as many people as you can. This is a huge platform. When you wear [this] crown and a sash, people are more inclined to listen to what you have to say. So you now have a responsibility to communicate important messages to the wider audience, because this is when they’re listening to you. If you had something to say from before you won, this is the time to say it, because you now have this platform to use.”
While the new queen reigns, Singh says she is excited to be returning to medical school.
“I have two and a half more years and I know it’s gonna be hectic because I’m going into clinicals now. So there is that, yes, but I really don’t want to be just a medical student. I think we have the ability to be multifaceted. So I look forward to going to speaking engagements if I am invited, [and] doing more charitable work. I definitely want to continue with that and just being a fashionista. I realised I really love dressing up and going out.”