A NEW CHAPTER
MISS UNIVERSE JAMAICA 2020 MIQUEAL-SYMONE WILLIAMS TO OPEN
TWENTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD MIQUEAL-SYMONE Williams took her last walk as the Miss Universe Jamaica queen during the 2021 coronation night on Saturday at the Riu Hotel, Montego Bay.
In her interview with The Gleaner after handing the crown to her successor, Williams shared that while she was uncertain of the roads ahead, she knows “the sky’s the limit”.
“I am not sure where I go from here, but I have so [many] talents and skills that I am planning to invest in. I want to hone these skills. Through the Miss Universe Jamaica Organisation, I have garnered partnerships and engaged with people who believe in me and are willing to help me along this journey,” she added.
The 2020 Miss Universe Jamaica is an official ambassador for the Office of the Children’s Advocate, partnering with the Jamaica Mental Health Advocacy Network, with which she is committed to working.
As to what she would like to be remembered for following her reign, Williams said she wants to be remembered for her dedication.
“I am going to continue with the organisations I partnered with because not only do I want to be remembered for the work, I want to be seen as a queen who puts in the work after her reign has ended. I want to be remembered as a queen who was kind,” she said as her eyes welled with tears.
In the same breath, she expressed gratitude to the national directors, Karl Williams and Mark McDermoth. According to McDermoth, she had warned them that she would cry on her last night as the reigning queen, but they, too, expected that the tears would be reciprocated as they also became emotional thinking back on good times spent with her.
In May, Williams finished in the top 10 at the 69th Miss Universe pageant held in Hollywood, Florida. She said that while she could not remember what the first task handed to her was after taking the crown in 2020, she certainly had more time to prepare. Later this year, the new titleholder, Daena Soares, heads to Eilat, Israel, to compete for the coveted Miss Universe crown in December.
“Daena has three weeks to prepare while I had five months. The first set of days were a flurry of emotions. She has little time to focus on that. I don’t remember what I had to do first. My advice to Daena is to be herself because it has brought her this far,” she said.
Williams added, “As I encouraged all the ladies in the pageant, for the one who wins this year, it is not a question of if you are or are not ready to take on the crown but if you are ready for the threeweek training period to get there in December. Daena has proven she has talent, the speaking ability – she can walk the walk and talk the talk because she is the most prepared – and she will be amazing on the international stage.”
Williams said that she is humbled knowing that she has made her father proud and that she is fulfilling the dream her late mother had for her from since she was a young girl.
“It has been an experience of a lifetime, and so I’m humbled and honoured that I could share it with the girls who entered this year and just [to] see them work, the amount of effort they made and to have been able [to] present to crown my successor. She is an amazing woman, and I’m excited for her. At the same time, I’m emotional because this chapter has closed. Now it’s time to open another,” she said.