T
he next young lady to hold the Miss Bahamas Universe title will be hoping to continue the impressive feat of outgoing history-making queen Chantel O’Brian, who is preparing to crown her predecessor.
Rickia Bonimy (Miss Eleuthera), Bashar Issacs (Miss Cat Island), India Davis (Miss Abaco), Angel Cartwright (Miss Long Island), Jael Peters (Miss New Providence), Juanita Rolle (Miss Grand Bahama), Latesha Gilbert (Miss Bimini), Kenice Canter (Miss Exuma), Natalya Pratt (Miss Andros) and A’Shia Darling (Miss Paradise Island) will contest for the 2022 MBU crown at the Atlantis Showroom, Paradise Island, on Sunday, July 31.
Since the first week of May, the contestants have been immersed in weekly rehearsals and training, according to Anthony Smith, national director who said the pageant will be held under the theme “Beauty Unmasked”.
According to Smith, the organization also implemented mandatory health and wellness sessions for contestants, in wake of the death of former Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst who leaped to her death in January 2022.
Additionally, the MBU organization planned to host its first MBU symposium, which engaged CEOs, executives and entrepreneurs from corporate Bahamas and various sectors such as hospitality, health, the arts, banking/finance, and other relevant industries.
“Our goal is twofold – to ensure that our delegates have access to the support they need in health and wellness for their physical, mental, and emotional good to provide direct access to industry leaders and professionals. Once the pageant is completed, the contestants will have made valuable connections that they may find helpful to them in the future.”
The Miss Universe’s motto, is “Beautifully Confident”.
“Originally, Miss Universe existed to identify the most confidently beautiful women, but as the organization is constantly evolving, we can affirm that beauty is about who we are and how we show up in a beautifully confident manner,” said Smith.
The new ambassador will be following O’Brian who was beautifully confident and came away with a top 10 showing from Miss Universe, and the inaugural Carnival Cruise Spirit Award from the December 2021 competition.
“We are all very proud of our current ambassador Chantel O’Brian. She [Chantel] will undoubtedly continue to advance professionally and will go on to have continued success. As we step forward into this new pageant cycle, our goal is to continue with our mission of national excellence via international pageantry,” said Smith.
The MBU pageant will be held under the patronage of Ann-Marie Davis, wife of Prime Minister Philip Davis.
