As far as dreams go, Ruqayyah Boyer is living hers. She returned to Guyana in February after spending three months away from home, the highlight of which was representing Guyana at the Miss Universe 2012 Pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
She expressed that representing Guyana was nothing short of a privilege and she was appreciative of everyone who supported her on her journey.
She described the entire experience as “incredible” and said that to relate the entire thing might “take years” because there was a lot that happened in a short space of time.
Among that lot was her much-talked about fall on stage that gained international attention. Ruqayyah said that for ten minutes she felt nothing but embarrassment and shock at having fallen in front of the millions of people watching her from around the world. Adding to the confusion trainer, Lu Sierra, approached her backstage and said, “Honey, you did not fall… Wait until you go out there again in your swimwear you’ll see they will applaud you because you did it like a champ!”
“What is this woman is talking about; didn’t she see me fall flat in front of millions?” Ruqayyah thought, but while waiting to return on stage for the Swim Wear prelim
inaries she found herself laughing uncontrollably just thinking about the mantra that Lu Sierra taught the contestants during training, ‘Every girl wants to be me, and every man wants to marry me.’
“I know it’s a bit crazy but that got my confidence back up and I decided there and then to bring it even more because my country was depending on me to stay strong,” she said.
While she was worried at how the folks at home would react to it, given the high media attention she received, she described the fall to be integral to her pageant experience.
“Strangely enough falling on stage seemed to be the best thing that ever happened to me. I instantly got global recognition in the pageant world and my fan base skyrocketed. I even got a standing ovation from Miss USA 2008, Crystle Stewart who was a preliminary judge. Now if that didn’t make me feel better I don’t know what would,” she said adding that the other contestants also comforted her after the fall.
The fall was described by some as ‘an attention stunt’ while others praised her graceful and rapid return to her feet, smiling as if nothing had happened.
“It’s interesting that some folks thought I planned it. Are you kidding me? I may have gotten lucky but prior to that luck I didn’t see anything enlightening about falling on stage while trying to do your best on the catwalk in an evening gown. It’s like a Cinderella story gone all wrong. I fell and I got up and the stage that evening had water as well which caused the fall. I really can’t say what made me get up the way I did. I just did, I’m just grateful that the best came out of it,” she said.
Ruqayyah’s national costume, which was designed by Dr Kurt Stephenson created quite a stir here in Guyana. Some thought it was a beautiful mixture of our patriotic colours and our diversity of fauna, others thought it did nothing to represent Guyana and if it was not for the five flag colours, the confusion would not be synonymous with the country. Nevertheless Ruqayyah said she loved it. “My love surprisingly had nothing really to do with the costume; it was the mere fact that a lot of passion was put into the handiwork and crafting of the piece,” she added.
Dr Stephenson would go back and forth between Georgetown and Linden to ensure she was comfortable with the costume and even asked for her input. She expressed that he was a good listener with an extreme talent for creating exactly what he drew on paper.
The duo decided on showcasing the butterfly farm and the birds of the rainforest. The arrangement was that of the colours of the flag but if one looked closely the costume was embedded with birds and butterflies. The shoulders were aviaries and her shoes were clothed in butterflies as well. “I valued the effort and dedication put into its creation and as a result loved it undoubtedly,” she said.
But after the evening gown, the ‘graceful’ fall, the swimwear and the national costume, Boyer failed to place among the top 16 on the night of the pageant. “I was disappointed,” she said, “I really wanted our country to put an end to the drought of not placing at Miss Universe. I wanted the efforts of every Miss Guyana before me to be valued in those moments because we all shared a similar dream. But my disappointment was short lived… I’m not the type of person to let a small defeat deter me so I smiled until the winner was announced and I congratulated her, wished her well and then went back to my room with full intentions to enjoy the Miss Universe after party and soak in the remaining time we girls had together.”
Did she make a lasting impression? She certainly thinks so. “What can I say? I went there to compete to the best of my abilities and I did just that. I worked hard and played hard and I made some amazing friendships. So yes I do have a list of countries to visit soon and similarly I have to find a big enough building where I can host all of the girls when they choose to visit. It was everything I dreamed about experiencing and more,” she said.
She believes that for a local girl to excel, she must have support from business and the government. “The responsibility of bringing home the crown should not be left entirely up to the queen representing… If corporate Guyana along with the government does not take the pageant industry seriously, then Guyana will only get so far on the international scene unless you’re extremely lucky. No one called me Ruqayyah in Vegas they all referred to me as Miss Guyana. So the onus is on Guyana…”
Following the pageant, Ruqayyah was part of the Plitz New York Fashion Week, which was held at the W hotel in Manhattan during the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. She walked for over 8 designers from around the world: China, Europe, Guadeloupe, Dominican Republic and the United States. Some she opened for and others she was the show stopper.
BETs 106 & Park invited Ruqayyah on the set, where she met actress Gabrielle Union and Rapper Bow Wow, but she said the highlight was meeting CNN Reporter and Talk Show Host Anderson Cooper while waiting in the CBS Studios.
Ruqayyah is studying International Relations at the University of Guyana and while in New York attended a peace ceremony at the United Nations Headquarters.
Now public relations officer of the CYEN Guyana (Caribbean Youth Environment Network), she is doing her part to help with the environment. She has also set up a team which is in the process of launching a new project called ‘Hope Phoenix Foundation’ which will be collaborating with (Caribbean American Domestic Violence Agency) CADVA. The website for this project is www.hopephoenix.org
She has also launched her website: www.ruqayyahboyer.com.
