When Janae Campbell walked away with the Miss Tobago Heritage Personality title on September 11 at Shaw Park Cultural Complex, she added pageant winner to an already impressive list of achievements.

At 19, the pint-sized Tobago Youth Council (TYC) president has worn many hats.

She is a former president of the Youth in Action, the national representative on the Commonwealth Youth Council and was named third best debater at the Tobago Day debate in 2019.

In 2014, Campbell placed sixth on the island in the Secondary Entrance Assessment examination and is the current youth assemblyman for the Roxborough/Delaford electoral district in the Tobago Youth Assembly. She is also a member of the vibrant Roxborough Police Youth Club.

Her participation in the Miss Tobago Heritage competition, she said, was long in coming.

“For the past decade, I have watched beauty pageants in awe hoping that one day I would get the courage to cross the stage,” Campbell told WMN.

“Specifically, the Miss Tobago Heritage Personality competition fascinated me because of its cultural backbone coupled with the fact that it doesn't promote superficiality as emphasis is not placed on physical attractiveness solely but also one's intelligence and talents.”

Having been actively involved in youth and community work for much of her adolescence, Campbell said she was encouraged to participate in the competition.

[caption id="attachment_915231" align="alignnone" width="683"] Tobago Youth Council president Janae Campbell plans to study medicine at UWI, Mona campus in Jamaica. - Photo by Ayanna Kinsale[/caption]

“People saw the queendom in me and so I grasped at the opportunity,” she joked.

For Campbell, beauty/talent pageants are not just about glitz and glamour but contribute to the development of women in a myriad of ways.

For example, she said participants learn discipline because they are expected to divide their time and efforts into practising for the different aspects of the competition.

“Admittedly, it can be very demanding so this, in turn, instils a sense of self-preservation into our young women.”

Secondly, she said pageants work as avenues for self-discovery as the preparation for the show often allows contestants to realise new things about themselves.

“For example, this pageant has taught me that there is, indeed, a more decorous side of Janae that isn't usually displayed. I realised I had the potential to be dainty but in practice my disposition is usually fierce. I also discovered that I'm fond of the performing arts.”

Campbell said pageants also offer unmatched opportunities for young women to develop themselves holistically by virtue of the rigorous training sessions leading up to the show.

Saying the contestants were taught valuable lessons that could be utilised in all walks of life, Campbell said some of their workshops dealt with anxiety management, internet etiquette, public speaking, financial management and dressing for success.

She said the lessons learnt from their floor training sessions, includi