News > 2007 > Miss St. Lucia Universe 2007

Castries, ST. LUCIA - In St Lucia, beauty queens come and go. They leave no lasting impression and one often has to ask: “What’s her name again?” when trying to remember a particular pageant winner.

Twenty-four-year-old Yoanna Henry is not one of those. She is determined to make a splash, a big one, when she represents St Lucia at the upcoming Miss Universe, to be held this time around in Mexico City. After a brief sit down with the STAR it was clear that Yoanna was no plain Jane. She was very up to the times and seemed to have an opinion on everything. This is one contestant who ain’t getting stumped when question time comes around. Yes, beauty, and brains. Let’s not forget the other “B’s” she has going for her.

Yoanna beat out several others to become St Lucia’s representative. This time around the competition to select a contestant for the highly acclaimed international pageant was low-keyed but the cosmetologist from Soufriere said that hardly made it less competitive.“By nature I am very competitive,” said Yoanna. “And it was a tough competition. All the young women were smart and beautiful.”

Some might recall that Yoanna had taken part in the National Pageant in 2003 where she took second runner-up. She also said that she has always been intrigued by the pageant scene so she is hardly a stranger to strutting her stuff.As for her trip to Mexico City, Yoanna could not be more excited.“I am looking forward to it. It is the first time I will be doing something of this scale and I want to make it memorable. People will not forget Yoanna easily.”

She smiles as she remembers her life growing up in Soufriere. “I love Soufriere. I grew up with two families, my dad’s and my mom’s, so I am pretty well-rounded and outgoing. They are all excited about what I am doing.” Yoanna makes no apologies for her confidence. “I think people are sometimes afraid of showing that they believe in themselves. I put my mind to something and I do it. I am very ambitious. But I am also easy to talk to. In my line of work people really open up to me so I also am trustworthy. I love to talk to people.”

The Southern belle says she has been disappointed with the approach to pageants in St Lucia. She questioned the government’s commitment to promoting St Lucia. “Pageants are a great way to get your country noticed and the government really needs to recognize this,” she said. The Miss Universe pageant will take place May 28. The STAR wishes Yoanna the best of luck.

Courtesy of The Star On Line

Thanks to Michael Knittel!

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