By Candace Phillips
The road to the Miss Moruca crown has not come without its fair share of pain for Taryn Abrams. She bravely endured excruciating physical pain from an old injury to compete successfully in last weekend’s pageant which was the highlight of the Moruca Expo 2010.
The 23-year-old hails from Waramuri, a quiet community which is found along the Moruca River in Region One. In an interview with The Scene, Taryn said she had felt like quitting the pageant because of the pain but was encouraged by her friends to endure this since they had confidence in her. Now, she is thankful and feels proud that she did not quit.
Recounting her experience she said that while on stage she was told to smile when all she felt like really doing was crying. Being named Miss Moruca 2010 was overwhelming and she said she experienced an array of emotions. However, up to this point Taryn has not been able to fully enjoy her reign.
Unfortunately, the morning after the pageant, she became ill and had to be admitted to the hospital. She was discharged and was able to return home late Friday afternoon. She hopes to fully recuperate so that she can begin to enjoy her success.
Taryn is a trained teacher by profession and teaches agriculture and integrated science at the Waramuri Primary School. She said though that while she enjoys teaching, she “can’t imagine doing it for the rest of my life.” Her passion lies with agriculture and she aspires to be a botanist.
She plans to attend the University of Guyana next year to begin studies in the field of agriculture. Taryn added that she has a great love for plants and spends most of her time engrossed in planting and taking care of both flowering and non-flowering plants. Her other interests include listening to music, travelling and reading.
Of her pageant experience, she said it was a good one and she had “never dreamt of going up for pageant.”
She attributed the push given by her friends and family as the reason why she entered the pageant. “At least I will have something to remember in later days to come,” she added.
While she is not quite sure of her plans for her year-long reign, she said she would love to work with youths from the Moruca region in the areas of drug abuse prevention and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.
Taryn said she has to have a meeting with the pageant committee chairman and her village captain to ascertain the feasibility of this dream.
Recounting, she said the preparations for the pageant were intense and the practicing in high heels might have been the reason her old injury resurfaced. Throughout the night of the pageant, she said, she was confident of her chances of winning but was aware of the tough competition she faced from Miss Kwebana, who finally emerged as the first runner-up.
Taryn opined that her victory was sealed by her answer to the final question which required contestants to express their thoughts on the Low Carbon Development Strategy. She said contestants were given five topics to study in preparation for the night.
She said she did thorough research on all the topics and chuckling she said, “I could have answered questions on all five!” She said after she answered, she knew that the crown was hers. Nevertheless, she was overjoyed at winning.
The Miss Moruca pageant, she said, is a good one since it allows participants to boost their self-esteem and recognise their true potential.
Taryn was in high praise for the traditional segment which she sees as a way to showcase Amerindian traditions.
Her advice to young people is to “believe that they can do anything once they make up their minds.” She added that courage is the key to accomplishing anything in life.
As part of her prize package, she has won $50,000, a trip to Kaieteur, among other prizes and of course, the right to the title Miss Moruca 2010, definitely an experience that she will always remember and treasure.
