NURSE COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY UPLIFTMENT
PORT MARIA, St Mary – June 26, 2024
Shamoya Bailey, the 24-year-old newly crowned Miss St. Mary Festival Queen, is embarking on an inspiring journey to uplift the lives of the elderly and shut-ins across her parish. Shamoya captured the hearts of the audience and adjudicators during the coronation ceremony, at the St. Mary Anglican Church Hall on Saturday, June 22, 2024.
(Shamoya Bailey)
With grace, dignity, and deep cultural pride, Shamoya surpassed five other contestants to claim three out of six sectional prizes, including the Most Congenial, Most Active in the Community and Most Popular on Social Media.
Reflecting on her crowning moment, Shamoya expressed overwhelming joy, “When I heard that I was the winner, I kept saying, ‘Thank you, Jesus,’ because I attended my
Grandmother’s funeral in the morning and then turned up for the competition after. I cried my eyes out in the morning but gave it my all that night.”
PASSION FOR NURSING
She is a registered nurse at Annotto Bay Hospital and a graduate of the University of the West Indies, Mona.
Initially aspiring to become a pharmacist, she discovered her passion for nursing through volunteer work, realizing her love for interacting with and helping people.
Shamoya actively contributes to the Staff Welfare Committee at Annotto Bay Hospital, volunteers at the Spicy Grove Youth Centre in Oracabessa, and founded the empowering “Girls Power” group.
(St Mary Festival Queen 2024, Shamoya Bailey is flanked by (at left) first runner-up 18-year-old Oneika A. Coubrie, Miss Brainerd, of St. Mary High School, and second runnerup 22-year-old Dahmoi A. Dozovado, clerical officer/administration in the JCF).
She says, “I usually meet with the young girls on Saturdays, mostly over the phone due to our schedules. Whenever I have a day off, I dedicate time to them. We discuss various issues they might be facing, including school and homework. Although we don’t have a lot of resources, we still find ways to support each other.”
With the new Festival Queen platform, Shamoya plans to revive her mother’s dormant community project, which provides essential support to the elderly and shut-ins through warm meals and toiletries. “My mom started a project on her birthday in 2016 to help the elderly and shut-ins in the communities in and around Oracabessa in our parish. My sister, my mom, and I would get up early on Saturday mornings to prepare hot meals and deliver them to those in need.
However, due to other obligations, the project was on pause.”
Shamoya says she plans to get help from her Girls Power group and maybe even some young men to help take care of the elderly.
She says she wants to do it “in honour of my grandmother”.
Looking ahead, Shamoya aims to bring the crown home to St. Mary at the upcoming Miss Jamaica Festival Queen National Coronation on August 3, 2024, in Kingston.
SEE ALSO THE NORTH COAST TIMES YOUTUBE CHANNEL NEWSCAST#55 FOR MORE ON MISS ST MARY
(This feature was prepared by the JCDC. The North Coast Times provided additional editing)
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