A true queen

Abena Bridge, Freelance Writer

Stacy Goulbourne

SHE HAS charisma, style and endurance. One might say these are the attributes of a queen. No wonder Stacy-Ann Goulbourne recently snatched the "Miss Portmore Festival Queen" crown from a field of nine contestants.

From a distance, one would think that this young lady has everything going her way, but pull back the curtains and these perceptions will disappear.

In an interview with the Portmore Journal, she tells of her disappointments in trying to get a job after graduating from the University of the West Indies with a bachelor's degree in hotel management.

One would have thought that once you are qualified, it would be easy to get a job, but for Stacy-Ann this is not so. "On one occasion it was frustrating but you realise that there is a greater problem than yourself. It is a problem that is being faced by many people", she said.

Instead, she used this frustration and turned it into positive inspiration by preparing herself to enter the festival queen competition. "I was invited to represent my community. I realised that the cultural information was what I needed and I saw this as an opportunity to break into the industry", she said.

Her dream came true when she was crowned at Extreme Night Club earlier this month.

Several persons who were at the crowning agreed that Stacy-Ann deserved the crown because she did so well in the interview. Commenting on this, Stacy-Ann said what helped her in the interview was the openness she shares with her family.

"Our family loves to talk; that is why we are so closely bonded", she told The Portmore Journal.

Stacy-Ann is from a single-parent home and is the "baby" of the family. She loves to read, travel and write motivational poems, one of which, "Runnings a Yard", she performed as her talent piece.

As "Miss Portmore" she hopes to work with people to make a difference and to work with children to tackle problems affecting them.

"Truth is going to be my main emphasis. To incorporate the old and the young people will also be one of my projects", she said. Also, Stacy-Ann hopes to look at environmental projects in Portmore.

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