The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

jgibson@tribunemedia.net

AS the first runner-up in the Miss Global pageant this year, Bahamian beauty queen Tenielle Adderley is about to travel around the world to engage in charitable fundraisers while promoting the beauty, intelligence and charm of women everywhere.

Tenielle, who won second place in Miss Global last month in Cambodia, will join reigning queen Barbara Vitorelli from Brazil on those trips.

The Miss Global Organisation, which is only in its first year, seeks to set a new standard for what a 21st century beauty pageant is. The Miss Global pageant seeks to attract a wider age range (18 - 35) and a more diverse selection of qualified participants.

Tenielle, a designer who resides in Georgia, US, stumbled across the pageant while doing research for her fashion design course in the Fall of 2016.

"Completing my studies in fashion design really opened my world and thinking on the industry. I have always admired pageants and modelling," she told Tribune Woman.

Tenielle had previously competed in Miss Teen Bahamas and was the winner of the 2011 Miss Supermodel of the Bahamas competition.

"I think it's safe to say I missed the pageant world. What inspired me to apply for the specific Miss Global pageant was the fact that their main focus was charity work and their motto of 'Empower Women, Embrace Diversity and Embody Beauty Within' with the mission of uniting people from all nations to showcase their beauty from within by giving them a global platform to empower their cultural beliefs," she said.

It turns out entering the pageant was a more than worthwhile endeavour for the Bahamian student, as she will now be travelling the world in a once-in-a-lifetime experience with three of her fellow winners.

"What I like about this pageant is that their top four contestants are considered as the 'Royal Court'. So you have your Miss Global winner and her sister queens. The Royal Court also get to travel with her to the different countries, visiting schools and doing environmental work to help keep the different countries' environment clean," she said.

After receiving the first runner-up title, Tenielle along with the other queens went on a private tour around the city of Phnom Penh in Cambodia, making appearances at different sponsor locations and schools.

"I truly enjoyed the experience of being in a place like Cambodia. We arrived at Phnom Penh, where the final night of the pageant was held. But for the three weeks we were there we got to travel around Cambodia seeing different villages and provinces. Along with Phnom Penh, we travelled to Siem Reap, Bokor Thansur Highland Resort, and Sokha Beach in Sihanoukville.

"We got to visit local schools in Phnom Penh and speak to the kids, hand out school supplies, and visit the Sunrise Village orphanage. There, we got to hang out and have lunch with all the children. It was inspiring getting to see and hear where they have come from but see them still be so happy and cheerful about life," she said.

Her journey to the top of the Miss Global pageant is just the beginning for Tenielle, who has a year of travel plans ahead of her with the organisation. She will be flying back to Cambodia very soon to engage in work with the country's Ministry of Environment and then on to China for speaking engagements on behalf of the pageant organisation.

And after Tenielle's tenure with Miss Global, she hopes to return home to compete in the 2018 Miss Bahamas Universe pageant.

"It has always been my dream to represent the Bahamas in the Miss Universe pageant, and right now this is all my training ground to lead up to that big moment," she said.