From CAPE exams to the crown
Zwena Gayle wins Miss St Elizabeth Festival Queen
Published:Wednesday | June 28, 2023 | 12:51 AM
Nineteen-year-old St Elizabeth Technical High School upper sixth form student Zwena Gayle scored another ace by taking the crown at the Miss St Elizabeth Festival Queen Competition on Saturday.
It was a long, but sweet journey for Gayle, who toiled to make her dream come true.
Giving her all to the competition while equally committing to her studies was not easy, but she buckled down and secured her crown jewel.
“Preparing for this competition was quite hectic seeing that I was sitting my CAPE Unit 2 examinations and the practices that we had would interfere with my studying, but I used time management skills and with the help of my parish manager … I was able to make it to the crown,” the grade 13 student told The Gleaner.
“I am so excited and I am thankful that I have got this experience, and I am looking forward to meeting all the other parish queens and having a great time,” she noted.
The event was held at the auditorium of the St Elizabeth Technical High School, which made it even more special for Gayle.
The national festival queen competition is being held under the theme ‘The Jamaican Woman: Strong, Dignified, Creative’.
Entrants must be between the ages of 18 and 25, and intelligent, culturally aware, and seeking a platform to contribute to nation-building.
Gayle, who was sponsored by Las Vegas Café, said her efforts in the competition were bolstered by her loved ones who remained by her side, more so on competition day.
One of her biggest supporters was her mother, Angela Wright, who shared that she is extremely proud of her daughter and described Zwena as a light to the family.
“It was tremendous, they are right over there screaming my name with a poster in their hands right now. I am so grateful for them all,” beamed Gayle, who won the sectional prize for community service.
No stranger to volunteerism, Gayle plans to use her reign to continue to tackle issues impacting youth and help them find their own fulfilment.
She said this is important to her as she wants to see young people on the right path given the recent violence being experienced in the parish.
“I feel amazing. I feel like all my hard work and sleepless nights have paid off tremendously,” she said.
“I am showing them [youngsters] that no matter where you are from, no matter who you are, you can be in this position with hard work and dedication,” Gayle added.
The new parish queen plans to expand her work with youth clubs and service initiatives to help uplift communities and the wider parish.