Diamond Secondary School teacher Jennifer Lall-Shiwbalak took the Miss Guyana Renaissance 2017 title besting 11 other contestants in what has been described as a stiff contest, last month at the National Cultural Centre.
“I feel accomplished, elated and satisfied that my hard work has paid off,” said a beaming Jennifer during an interview with The Scene even as she revealed that she almost dropped out of the pageant after the devastating loss of her beloved father.
Her father, the new queen said, would have been overjoyed to see her win the crown, especially since her participation was his idea. She recalled that she had participated in the Miss Guyana Music Fantasia Phagwah pageant in 2002, one of eight pageants she has contested and one of the four in which she was adjudged queen. The following year, her father saw an advertisement for the Miss Renaissance pageant and encouraged her to enter. However, at the time, Jennifer did not meet the required age of 30 and so put the idea of entering behind her.