The Tribune

BY DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FREEPORT – Reigning Miss Grand Bahama, Shequera King, will travel to Zimbabwe to compete in the Miss Heritage World Pageant.

King, 24, is preparing to participate in the pageant’s debate section, to be held November 29 to December 7 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

The grand finale will take place on December 7 at the Harare International Conference Centre.

Glen Davis, president of the Miss Grand Bahama organidation, is confident the beauty queen will do well at the competition in Africa.

“Our organisation is known around the world, and we were contacted by Miss Heritage World to send a representative,” Mr Davis said. “We are excited to be sending Miss Grand Bahama to this pageant in Africa.”

The Miss Grand Bahama organisation sends winners to represent the Bahamas in other pageants, including the Miss Global International held in Jamaica; the Miss International Coffee Beauty Pageant to be held in Colombia in January 2014; the Miss Yacht Model Bahamas; and the Miss Bikini Bahamas.

Lashanda Wildgoose, Miss Global Bahamas, was among the top finalists, placing second runner-up at the pageant in Jamaica.

In addition to grooming the young women, Mr Davis said the organisation is committed to transforming candidates and queens into true ambassadors for the country.

Miss Heritage World is open to women of all cultural and religious backgrounds between the ages of 17 and 28, and who have never been married.

Miss Heritage World Pageant serves as a platform to promote heritage exchange among participating Queens from different countries.

It also promotes and preserves world heritage, implementing UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention to achieve the Millennium Development Goals Declaration.

The winner of the pageant will execute duties that go hand-in-hand with World Heritage Tourism and Sustainable Development.

Miss King is grateful for the chance to travel and compete at the pageant.

“I am very grateful for the opportunity to represent the Bahamas at the Miss Heritage World beauty pageant in Zimbabwe, Africa this month,” she said.

“Never having gone anywhere outside of the Bahamas and the United States, it’s surreal that I will be travelling across the world to compete for this coveted title – and to the motherland at that!

“I am extremely excited and confident that I will do exceptionally well. I have been making all of the necessary preparations to ensure that I am an excellent representative of the Bahamas and an ideal candidate for the crown,” she said.

“My goal is to bring the crown home to the Bahamas and to make history by becoming the first Miss Heritage World.

“However, in spite of what happens, I will be sure that Zimbabwe remembers the Bahamas was there. I am geared up, all set, and ready to go,” Ms King said.

The organisation describes her as a talented and intelligent 24-year-old graduate of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

She obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Marketing in May 2009 with honours (Summa Cum Laude).

While in college, Shequera assisted in establishing Caribbean in Action (CIA), a group that promotes awareness of the beauty, culture, and people of the Bahamas.

She is a graduate of Sunland Baptist Academy, and the daughter of Thomas and Myrton King.

Shequera loves modelling, reading, singing, dancing, travelling, and spending time with family and friends.

She has participated in the Bahamas Galaxy Pageant where she placed second runner up.

She also placed first runner up in the Nu Face Model Search.

Her platform is “Building character and confidence in Bahamian youth”.

She assists young people in the community through two young adult groups.

In the future, Shequera plans to pursue a Masters Degree in Project Management.

Her goal is to become an entrepreneur and establish a promotion and event planning company. Supporters and fans can follow Shequera’s adventures on the Facebook page of Miss Heritage World Bahamas.