Like former beauty queens Wendy Fitzwilliams and Giselle Laronde-West, 23-year-old Amryl Nurse plans to etch her name in history by following the path of her predecessors.
It has been her childhood dream to win an international beauty pageant and on Saturday, the young woman from Freeport will represent this country at the 12th annual Miss Earth Beauty Pageant in Manilla, Philippines.
Nurse began her journey when she won the third edition of the Miss Oneness T&T Pageant, held last August at the Cara Suites Hotel and Conference Centre, Claxton Bay.
The Miss Earth Pageant, hosted by Carousel Productions, not only spotlights the beauty of women but creates an innovative way to introduce environmental ambassadors to the world.
One of the main duties of the new queen will be to serve as an ambassador to environmental protection campaigns worldwide.
The pageant Web site states, "Because many people admire and aspire to be a beauty queen, Carousel Productions believes beauty queens would be a good and effective advocate of worthy causes.
To give life to this vision, Carousel Productions organised and launched in 2001, the Miss Earth Beauty Pageant, a beauty event whose raison d'etre was to have its candidates and winners actively promote and get involved in the preservation of the environment and the protection of Mother Earth."
"Apart from a strong emphasis on environmental protection programmes, Miss Earth also aims to showcase and promote various tourist destinations. Every year, 80 to 90 candidates from all over the world compete on beauty and knowledge of environmental issues."
According to Nurse, this is an ideal pageant for her as she has always been an ardent advocate for a greener and more beautiful T&T.
"I have always been a lover of our environment. Ask any of my friends, no one can litter in front of me.
"I am very passionate about our environment because it is so beautiful.
"Now that I am in the pageant, it has propelled me to do more research and now I have become more aware of the dangers to it. I want to win because the world also needs to know about Trinidad and Tobago and how beautiful it is." Asked how she plans to achieve this, she said, "I want to partner with the Government and Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association (TTMA) to engage in projects geared at helping our environment. My advocacy is to raise awareness." Nurse said she also plans to interact with the delegates at the pageant to learn what their countries are doing with sustainable energy, in hope that T&T can integrate it into its system.
"I feel really honoured that I can represent Trinidad and Tobago. I am proud and humbled by this opportunity and excited at the same time," she added.
Nurse who hails from, Chickland, Freeport, is currently pursuing a Bachelors degree in Business Management from Angela Ruskin University in London, through the School of Accounting and Management Studies (SAMS). She is employed as a dispatcher at Flow Trinidad Ltd.
Nurse is confident and said she is assured of T&T's support.
Meanwhile, Miss Oneness T&T pageant director, Vanessa Sahatoo-Manoo said that not only will our local beauty be on display but also Nurse's Turquoise evening gown which was specially made for her by local designers Zad and Eastman. She said the dress is like a pristine view of our ocean and is sure to dazzle the world.
Nurse's costume was made by Island People Mas Band and top local designer, Heather Jones, who will be part of Nurse's wardrobe team.
Sahatoo-Manoo also urged citizens to vote for Amryl at MissEarthTT on Facebook, Twitter and also at www.missearth.tv.