Former MJW winners share how their lives have been trasformed

On August 15, a new Miss Jamaica World will be crowned, and one young woman’s life will be changed forever. Being a part of the competition has been a life-changing experience for the numerous contestants, and today, Outlook catches up with former queens to find out about their transformation.

Cindy Breakespeare, Miss Jamaica and Miss World 1976.

As the official grandma of these young women in this year's competition, Laura Butler relies on me for advice and I enjoying seeing the transformation the girls go through.

The competition is a tremendous door opener that allows us to travel as Miss World at someone else's expense. The competition expands your mind and gives one the value of alternative lifestyle, religion, cultural philosophies, educational experiences, and sets the bar for the rest of your life.

Not a day goes by that someone doesn't say 'hi', almost 40 years later, and because of that, I am forced to continue to put my best self forward at all times.

Sandra Foster-Mahfood, 1991

The contest allowed me to travel all over the world to many different countries where I was able to meet people with varying cultures. It was a wonderful experience representing Jamaica and I'm grateful that I was given that opportunity.

Danielle Crosskill, 2011

Being crowned Miss Jamaica World in 2011 was an extremely proud moment and significant turning point in my life. My platform throughout the competition was early-childhood education and this continues to be the driving force in my life and goal for Jamaica's future.

I am currently at Reach Academy where I am a Kindergarten teacher and I also offer private tutoring classes. Working with young children has enabled me to really fulfil my passion and vision that I campaigned for during my reign as Miss Jamaica World. I could not be any happier in this field. I get to do what I absolutely love.

The competition process also allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and become a more confident individual. All that I learnt along the way helped me to develop my public-speaking skills, and has helped me to be comfortable in my own skin and has taught me so much about the person I am today.

Gina S. K. Hargitay, 2013

To express how the Miss Jamaica World competition has changed my life would take far more time and space than I can afford here. But I can simply say that the person I am today is completely different from the person I was before I entered the competition.

As soon as I got through eliminations and began the training process, I began to change. I began to grow, to mature, to see the value in learning to manage my time, learning to speak about any topic, learning about my home - Jamaica, and so much more.

After winning the competition, I realised that the growth I had experienced until then was only the beginning. What is most amazing about the competition and winning it, is that you can mould your experience to achieve anything you want. The platform you earn as Miss Jamaica World allows you to do that.

For me, that path was public and motivational speaking. And without the Miss Jamaica World competition, I probably would never have even discovered a skill that now I can't even imagine not using for the rest of my life.