Where Are They Now? Past Miss Jamaica Winners

Posted on August 13, 2015

by diGJamaica 

On Saturday, August 15, 20 of the most beautiful young women in Jamaica will vie for the title of Miss Jamaica World. Reigning queen Laurie-Ann Chin will take her final walk before handing over the crown to the new winner, who will go on to represent the country at the Miss World pageant in Sanya, China on December 19.

Jamaica has a good record at the pageant, with our contestants making the semi-finals 23 times in total, winning three times, placing third three times, fourth one times, fifth two times and elsewhere in the top 10 on 14 other occasions.

The Miss World pageant was created in 1951 and Jamaica has been sending representatives since 1959, with Sheila Mechtilde Chong. The title of Miss Jamaica World was official coined in 1978. There was no Miss Jamaica pageant in 1976 and 1977, so our representatives (Cindy Breakspeare and Sandra Kong, respectively) were appointed by then licence holder Mickey Haughton-James of Spartan Health Club. Breakspeare won the Miss World crown, but Kong was withdrawn by Spartan at the request of the then government in protest of the participation of South Africa, which was then under the apartheid system.

Below is a list of some of our past beauty queens as we look at what they’ve been up to since handing over their crowns. Since Breakspeare did not hold a Miss Jamaica title, she is not included in this list.

Carole Merkens

Carole Joan Crawford – The then 20-year-old, five-foot three-inch beauty, took home the coveted Miss World crown for Jamaica in 1963, just months after the island became an independent nation. The first Jamaican woman to be crowned Miss World, she was the first woman of colour to win the title. Now Mrs Carole Merkens, she lives in Canada.

Patsy Yuen – Patricia Teresa Yuen Leung placed third in the 1973 Miss World pageant, our highest placement since Crawford’s victory. Yuen won the Distinguished Salesman of the Year award from the Gleaner in 1974. She later married fellow Chinese Jamaican Warwick Lyn, a reggae producer best known as the protege of Leslie Kong, and emigrated to the United States with him. Together, they organised the Miss Jamaica Miami beauty pageant.

Joan McDonald – Crowned in 1978, she was the first woman to win the official ‘Miss Jamaica World’ title. Since ending her reign, McDonald has distinguished herself in public service by working with many community groups and non-governmental organisations, including Jamaica Red Cross, the Lions Club of Kingston and Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE). She is also a Justice of the Peace and a former director of the Lay Magistrates Association of Jamaica. Now well known for her event planning skills, she is also a personal development coach and has been a grooming consultant for the Miss Jamaica World and Miss Jamaica Festival Queen pageants.

Cathi Levy – She won the 1983 Miss Jamaica title and went on to place fourth in the Miss World pageant. Today, she is best known as the founder of the performing arts programme Cathi Levy Little People and Teen Players Club, which she started 27 years ago. The group has nurtured the talents of people like Tessanne Chin, Tami Chynn, Duane Stephenson and Michael Sean Harris.

Sandra Foster-Mahfood

Sandra Foster – Foster won the inaugural staging of the Miss Jamaica Universe Pageant in 1989 and placed sixth at Miss Universe. Two years later, she took the Miss Jamaica World crown and walked away with the title Caribbean Queen of Beauty, placing third overall in the Miss World competition. Now married to businessman Ricky Mahfood, she is a devout Christian and mother of five, living her life out of the spotlight.

Lisa Hanna – It had been 17 years since Cindy Breakspeare won the Miss World title when Hanna wowed the judges and took the crown in 1993. Since the end of her reign, Hanna has been an actress, broadcaster and communications consultant, and is now a politician. She is the Minister of Youth and Culture and Member of Parliament for South East St Ann, representing the People’s National Party.

Imani Duncan – She went unplaced at the 1995 Miss World contest, but Duncan used her year as Miss Jamaica to focus on sustainable environmental practices and violence reduction in schools. Her passion for social development flourished at Harvard and has been demonstrated in local initiatives. She is a co-founder of the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CaPRI) and Youth Upliftment Through Employment (Y.U.T.E.) programme. Now married to LIME executive Stephen Price, she is also a government senator, Group Chief of Strategy Officer at JMMB Group and a strong advocate for gender equality.

Tonoya Toyloy – She represented Jamaica in the 2004 Miss World contest in China, and although she didn’t make the top 10, she won the Miss World scholarship, valued at US$10,000. Those funds payed for her first year of graduate school, and she eventually graduated magna cum laude from the University of Florida with a PhD in pharmacy. Now Mrs Toyloy-Williams, she is the CEO of LiveWell Pharmacy in Portmore.

Terri-Karelle Reid (right photo by Adrian Creary)

Terri-Karelle Griffith – Jamaicans fell in love with the Afro-sporting Griffith, who placed 16th in the 2005 Miss World pageant. Now Mrs Reid and a mother of one, her gregarious nature has served her well as a media personality. She is the Online Brand Manager at The Gleaner Company, host of the popular Digicel Rising Stars and JustBet’s Before the Whistle shows, and a sought-after public speaker. Interestingly, she had studied veterinary medicine in Cuba.

Sara Lawrence – She was a standout during the 2006 Miss World contest and placed sixth overall, taking the Caribbean Queen of Beauty title. In March 2007, she relinquished the Miss Jamaica World title upon announcing her pregnancy, becoming the first winner in the pageant’s 23-year-history to do so. However, the Miss World organisation allowed her to keep her titles. Since the end of her reign, Lawrence has fulfilled her ambition of becoming a medical doctor and is also a brand ambassador for telecommunications company LIME and the first Caribbean ambassador for L’Oreal Paris.

Yendi Phillipps – She created Miss World history in 2007 by being the first contestant to make the finals of all the fast track events, and placed 17th. Three years later, Phillipps narrowly missed out on the Miss Universe crown, coming in as the first runner-up. Since then, she has continued to model and has worked as a media personality and television host – Digicel Rising Stars, Smile Jamaica – It’s Morning Time and most recently, she was a guest co-host on Global TV’s The Morning Show in Canada. Phillipps also created the In the Dance fitness DVD.

http://digjamaica.com/blog/2015/08/13/where-are-they-now-past-miss-jamaica-world-winners/