Miss Teen aims at school violence

Laranzo Dacres, Gleaner Writer

Renée Wilson, a 17-year-old student of Mona High School will be working on a project aimed at reducing crime and violence in her school.

The project, Wilson explained, would be done in conjunction with the Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica and a task force designed to make schools more secure.

Wilson worked hard for, and earned the opportunity to try to make a change in her school when she won the 30th Miss Teen Jamaica 2010 competition last Sunday at the Altamont Court Hotel.

Her eyes sparkled with tears of joy, as she smiled in subtle elation.

"I'm so overwhelmed and I'm so excited, I couldn't ask for more right now, and feeling the crown on my head so heavy, I'm wondering if it's a reality, because I'm just so shocked!" said Wilson who also aspires to be a corporate lawyer.

Deafening cheers

Supporters and family members of Wilson burst into deafening cheers as she was crowned.

"In the finals I was actually very shocked, I knew I could do it, because I was proud and I had confidence. But its just a feeling you get. You know when you win something its not something you're expecting, so its a shock," she said. "But everything tonight just went as God wanted it to go and I'm really happy!"

The contest saw eleven contestants competing for the coveted title, as they competed in various sections of the competition to earn points as they moved along.

"The young ladies paid tribute and portrayed outstanding women of our society, some of them posthumously. Examples of these were Louise Bennett-Coverley, Mary Seacole, Portia Simpson Miller and Jevene Bent," Courtney Foster, emcee of the Miss Teen competition said.

Focus on intelligence

Foster pointed out that the contest that was started 30 years ago was not a "beauty contest", but one that focuses more on the young ladies' intelligence, talent, cultural awareness, discipline, practice of Christian principles among other things.

In advising young ladies on the way to approach the competition next year Wilson said, "You should come with confidence and be ready to expect anything. You will meet many persons with different personalities," she said. "And your discipline and everything about you will be transformed at the end of it."

Wilson won for herself a trip to Florida to participate in an international teen contest, a $400,000 scholarship to pursue any undergraduate programme courtesy of the University College of the Caribbean, the Chalcass Medals and Association Trophy, an Anne Klein gold-plated watch, courtesy of Ms Courtney Foster and a BlackBerry 8520 cellphone from Digicel. Second place and third-place winners were Bianca Fagan and Daniella Barclay respectively.

Wilson also managed to cop for herself five sectional prizes which includes: Most Intelligent, Most Aware, Most Eloquent, Best Personality and Most Photogenic.