Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine January 2018 | Page 236

Jade Romain
shared with Mélange . . .
About her experience winning the
2017 Miss Caribbean Culture Queen
Pageant
The Pageant was a wonderful experience. At
first it was difficult for me because just one
week prior I had participated in the Miss Jaycees
International Pageant, and though I performed
well, I was unsuccessful. I had to mentally put
aside the disappointment that I felt and focus on
this pageant. Once I was able to do that [ mainly
due to the support of my amazing team, family & friends ] I
focused wholeheartedly on the task at hand, that
is winning!
My Chaperone, Mrs Chandra Irish; Assistant
Chaperone, Cedric Commodore and Makeup
and Hairstylist/Team Member Natalie Marshall-
Joseph were there with me and continued to be
very supportive by ensuring that I had everything
I needed. My other team members: Cedella Popo,
Nurse Jean Jacob, Roxanne Christian-White, Danna
Augustine, Kareem Christian and Maria Jeffers,
also continued to provide the encouragement that
I needed from home. My entire community, family
and friends were a constant source of support a s
well. The other participants were very friendly so
we all got along well. Also, our host, Mr Randy
Jeffers, along with his team ensured that we were
relaxed and having fun. It was amazing!
Participating in the Miss Caribbean Culture Pageant
boosted my self confidence immensely and taught
me to never allow disappointments to keep me
from trying my best. It also reiterated the fact that
consistency wins pageants because though I did
not win any individual prizes, my consistency in
each round ensured my victory.
About her role models
I have many role models. My mother is one of my
main role models. I have watched her struggle for
many years with mental illness and despite the
difficulties that she continually faces, she remains
one of the kindest people I have ever known. She
will literally give someone the shirt off her back
and I love and respect her for being such a positive
person even though she is faced with a lot of
negativity.
Next in line are my chaperones, Mrs Chandra Irish
and Mr Cedric Commodore. I had never contested
a pageant prior to the Miss Dominica Carnival
Queen Pageant. I was never a "pageant girl". It
was only because of their belief in me and their
love, support and encouragement that I even
got the courage to try. I hope to one day be an
encouragement to others as they have been to me.
About her other interests
I love reading and being in the outdoors. Also,
pageantry has highlighted to me how much I love
interacting with young children. I have learned
that children are much more receptive and open
minded. I had a session on mental health with
a summer school class at the Dominica Public
Library. It warmed my heart too see how attentive
they were when I was speaking to them about
mental health, especially about how the mentally
ill are treated. During my review of the session,