Miss Teen Portmore competition benefits from scholarships

... Contestants continue to perform well

The Miss Teen Portmore pageant scholarship fund received a boost as West Indies Home Contractors (WIHCON) recently pumped over $700,000 into the fund.

Sixteen-year-old, Ruth-Ann Williams, the newly crowned Miss Teen Portmore, a sixth form student at Wolmer's Girls School recently collected a cheque of $710,000 from Octron Promotions, the producers of the pageant.

Joseph Matalon, a senior executive of WIHCON, and president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), made the presentation at WIHCON's downtown Kingston office. Matalon is also the head of Youth Upliftment Through Employment (YUTE).

WIHCON began operations in 1958 with the country's first housing development. The company has built nearly 40,000 houses in many developments including Mona Heights, Harbour View and Greater Portmore.

The pageant started in 2004 and the majority of the former queens have graduated from university. While two former queens are in medical school, the last two queens are sixth formers.

The pageant deals primarily with the applicant's knowledge of current affairs, Jamaican culture and history. It aims to assist the personal development of young ladies through grooming sessions, public speaking, and social development. It also contributes to their educational development.

One major criterion for successful applicants to the pageant is that they have at least a C plus average, as the organisers promote educational growth and vision for teens. The girls must be between the ages of 14-17 years old, and must exhibit a talent.

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  Miss Teen Portmore past winners

2004: Kay Levene (inaugural queen), completed her Bachelor of Science in international relations at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, St Andrew. Another contestant, Jody Hall, Miss Academia that same year, now majors in economics at the UWI.

2005: Chantal Thompson, completed her Bachelor of Arts in business administration at the University of Technology.

2006: Kimberly Gunnings, pursuing a career in medicine at a university in Cuba. Neveta Sutherland was Miss Academia that year and is now in the 4th year of medical school at the UWI, Mona.

2007: Jody-Kay Royes. She also won the Miss Academia award and is pursuing her Bachelor of Science in management studies at the UWI.

2008: Jodiann Campbell is pursuing a career in teaching and studying at the Mico University College. The first runner-up, Shreeda Beepot, is pursuing a career in teaching at Shortwood Teachers' College.

2009: Michelle Cole, the youngest winner ever, at 14 years old, is currently in sixth form at St Andrew High School. She earned nine Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate subjects (CSEC).

2010: Anna-Kay Palomino is a sixth-form student at Wolmer's Girls. She also won the Miss Academia award.

2011: Ruth-Ann Williams, sixth-form student at Wolmer's Girls also earned nine CSEC subjects. This year's second runner-up, April Weise, has 13 CSEC subjects.