Budding artist bests two to become Miss Cultured Guyana
beauty…. I look at my scars now and I see different shapes. I’m on the verge of accepting them though I still battle with how I look every day. I’m still self-conscious about what I wear, but yet I’m confident to an extent. Talking about this is still a bit hard but I find that such stories help to inspire others,” Romi shared.
Through all of this Romi said, her mother is her biggest inspiration. “She’s always supported me and finds ways to make me accomplish my dreams.”
She’s also inspired by Oprah and her life story as she is inspired by her courageousness and feels connected because of her struggles. Dr Martin Luther King is also one of her heroes.
It’s painful, Romi said, to see the attitude people have towards art. “We don’t see the impact it has on our culture and we don’t respect our local talents enough.” She added that one of the reasons she is attending Burrowes is so that she could eventually pursue studies in psychology in hopes of putting the two together and later becoming an art therapist so she can help persons with autism and depression express how they feel and recover through this form.
The Miss Cultured Pageant, Romi shared, has made her a better person in more than one ways. “I learnt to be independently creative. Lack of sponsorship did help me to find the creative side of me I didn’t know I possessed. I had never thought there would come a day when I’d actually make a dress. My dress was held together with silicone glue and hand stitching. I have also developed a better friendship with Michael. I find that we work well together when we are creating. It has also improved on my self-confidence.”
This experience saw Romi working along with the children at the Ruimveldt Children’s Care Centre, something she plans on doing more of during her reign along with other projects. She plans to also launch her very own NGO during this time.
When asked whether she plans on entering any other pageant, Romi said she had always wanted to be Miss Guyana World and so with some more time and when she feels she’s ready, she’ll sign up for the pageant.
The last of three children, Romi enjoys singing, painting, playing hockey (is also a member of the Old Fort Hockey Club), seeking new adventures and travelling. She hopes to be able to travel to all of the regions in Guyana.
The pageant under the stewardship of Lloyd N De Arts Productions saw its inaugural pageant last year. According Romi, the pageant this year was to have six competitors. However, two dropped out and the third, 18-year-old Akita Joseph fell ill just days short of the competition.
Most of the designs that Romi wore at the pageant were hers. For the talent segment she did a fusion of Jacki Jaxx’s “Guyana’s Song” and Dave Martin’s “Not a Blade of Grass”.
The categories were: introduction, cultural personality, talent, catwalk challenge, cultural creative professional wear, cultural creative cocktail wear (for this category she wore a peacock evening dress she designed herself), cultural creative creek wear, cultural creative evening wear and the question and answer segment.
The awards are as follows: Best Smile (Faith Harding), Mother Morse Award/ Miss Congeniality (Jenel Bennett) and Miss Show Stopper/ Best Talent and Best Evening Wear (Romi).
A prize giving ceremony is scheduled for the November 21, where the other awards will be announced. The queen has won $100,000 in cash and prizes.