By NAN Staff Writer
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Jan. 10, 2023: New Orleans, Louisiana will be the venue for the 71st MISS UNIVERSE® competition this Saturday that will see a dozen Caribbean contestants competing for the coveted title at the international event hosted at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
The 12 contestants from the Caribbean among some 90 other women competing for the year-long job are:
Kiara Arends, 24, of Aruba who has a Bachelor’s of Laws degree with minors in Business and Tax Laws and has worked as an intern at a renowned corporate law firm in Aruba;
Ashley Lightburn, 26, of Belize who is in STEM, and lends those skills as a mathematics lecturer at the University of Belize while also working a full-time job at a bank;
Lia Claxton, 18, of the British Virgin Islands who is a college student pursuing an English degree and aspires to become a lawyer;
Chloe Powery-Doxey, 25, of the Cayman Islands, who played with the Women of Valor Basketball Club and the Cayman Islands National Team, earning two championship wins in 2013 and 2021;
Gabriëla Dos Santos, 20 of Curacao, who founded Light4change, an organization whose aim is to enable young people to find purpose in adversity and embrace who they are with full authenticity;
Andreína Martínez, 25, of The Dominican Republic; but who lives in the US and was the winner of Google’s Pay it Forward Award for her dedication to her community. She has a BA in Psychology from the City College of New York;
Mideline Phelizor of Haiti is a 27-year-old model who is also currently studying law with the dream to specialize in children’s rights, particularly orphans;
Toshami Calvin Of Jamaica, 26, lives in the US and is currently a registered behavioral technician and therapy provider for children on the autism spectrum. She is also strong advocate for greater autism awareness in Jamaica and works with the nonprofit Jamaica Autism Support Association;
Ashley Cariño Of Puerto Rico is 28 and currently completing a degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Central Florida with hopes of specializing in the field of rocket propulsion;
Sheris Paul Of Saint Lucia, 27, is a tech entrepreneur pursuing a degree in computer information systems. She is passionate about empowering women and girls;
Angel J. Cartwright Of The Bahamas is 28 and a private Banker, first-time author, and climate change enthusiast;
and Tya Jané Ramey of Trinidad and Tobago, 25 is s a two-time national beauty ambassador and is currently earning her Master’s degree of Social Work; after earning a Bachelor’s of Science and certificate in Social Work and Social Policy.
The highly anticipated event will feature the 90 women going through the process of personal statements, in depth interviews and various categories including evening gown & swimwear. The evening will culminate with the 70th Miss Universe, Harnaaz Sandhu, who brought the title back to India for the first time in twenty-one years, crowning her successor.
The public can also cast votes for the contestants by logging on HERE
