From one queen to another
In an intimate ceremony flanked by family, friends and well wishers, Sienna Evans officially began her journey as the new Miss Bahamas World on Sunday evening as she was crowned by outgoing queen Miss World Bahamas 2019 Nyah Bandelier. Several sponsors were on hand for the event to present the new queen with some of her prizes.
Chevette Williamson from Chevette Williamson jewelry who is designing several one-of-a-kind pieces for her wardrobe; Tabatha Porter from Unlimited Beauty Distributors who presented her with a year’s supply of hair care products from the Avalon Keracare line; Christina Hermanns from The Straw Shack - curators of nostalgic Bahamian straw products from throughout the country - who will provide the new queen with an assortment of straw bags and accessories; and a representative from Commonwealth Fabrics, supplier of fabrics and notions with which Bahamian designers created several unique looks for the queen’s wardrobe. Also in attendance was communication coach and trainer Kim Welcome who is part of the team preparing Sienna for the competition.
Sienna who was selected as the new queen during a private screening process, expressed gratitude for the opportunity, and pledged to give it her all while representing the country at the 70th Miss World pageant in Puerto Rico.
She was given words of advice from her predecessor who encouraged her to always be true to herself, and to remember that she is representing not only her country, but every young woman or girl who will aspire to follow in her footsteps.
A team of stylists headed by Delano Sweeting is responsible for Sieanna’s Miss World look, which will include outfits from Signature Styles, Bahari Bahamas and Bahama Hand Prints; creations by local designers Patrice Lockhart and Alicia Seymour; Puerto Rican designers Luis Rentas, Luis Lopez, Kelvin Giovani, Reynaldo Jose and Sonia Margarita; Filipino designer Boogie Musni Rivera, and looks from BB Couture NYC and Matahari Jewelry in Puerto Rico.
Sienna’s Beauty with a Purpose project Access Granted is aimed at making health care services more accessible to all Bahamians. She explained that this is more than just a project that she undertook for the pageant but is a reflection of her everyday life and passion.
Her mother, Dr. Melissa Evans, pledged her support – both as her mother and as part of the Access Medical Bahamas team. She noted that her daughter has worked hard to establish the network of labs, saying she is confident that she is ready for the task at hand.
In her final act at Miss World Bahamas, outgoing queen Nyah Bandelier and the Miss Bahamas Organization will establish a $25,000 scholarship endowment at the University of The Bahamas in the coming weeks from monies raised as part of her Beauty with a Purpose project. She expressed gratitude for the opportunities afforded to her during her 2-year reign, extended due to the pandemic which led to a cancellation of both the Miss World and Miss Bahamas pageants in 2020.
Miss Bahamas Organization President Michelle Malcolm spoke of the process by which the new queen was selected, explaining that the pandemic forced the organization to find a new way to select a winner.
She also made an appeal for more sponsors to come onboard, as the shutdown made it impossible for the organization to generate revenue.
Miss Malcom revealed that the organization has contracted a new coach who has an impressive track record in international competitions. She stated that he is excited about Sienna’s chances at winning.
She encouraged Bahamians to put their full support behind the new queen as a key component of the Miss World competition is public voting.
Sienna leaves for the Miss World competition on November 21. The finale will be held on December 16 when Toni Ann Singh of Jamaica will crown her successor. Thanks to The Balmoral Club for hosting the crowning event and Wild Seed Designs for the lovely foral arrangements.