A’yana Phillips named Miss BVI 2018
A’yana Phillips
A’yana Keshelle Phillips known as ‘Lady Mix’ has been named Miss BVI for 2018.
Her coronation will be held at the festival village on Sunday, August 5.
Phillips was one of the two contestants in the Miss BVI pageant last year who shared the first runner-up position. Helina Hewlett was the other first runner-up.
Vice-chair of the VI Festivals and Fairs Committee Xayrna Samuels told BVI News Phillips was selected to represent the British Virgin Islands this year for a number of reasons.
“We chose A’yana because Helina had already gone and represented the territory internationally so we just decided that we would give A’yana a turn to represent the territory as well,” Samuels said.
“We were not sure if we were getting a budget to do such [pageant] and at the time when we started planning. It would have been too late to go out and start preparing for a show,” she added.
Phillips got what it takes
Emerging among the top three in last year’s pageant speaks volumes about Phillips’ ability to hold an ambassadorial role, Samuels said.
“… Which is another reason — instead of going out into the general public to choose somebody, we went in that direction. We are familiar with her abilities to represent and her abilities to participate in pageants [and] we are confident that she has the ability to represent us internationally.”
More about Phillips
Phillips — a legal assistant — is from Third District community of Sea Cow’s Bay on Tortola. She is a past student of the Charlotte Amalie High School in St Thomas and is currently a Business Administration student at the H Lavity Stoutt Community College on Tortola.
Among her hobbies are bartending, entertainment promotion and disc jockeying, hence her alias, Lady Mix. She also enjoys sailing and island hopping.
Phillips is a fan of Golden State Warriors and owns a rottweiler, which she adores.
Her favourite meal is comprised of conch in butter sauce with coleslaw and peas and rice. She hopes to pursue a Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing.
She also hopes to establish her own marketing company, which she envisions will allow her to help keep the British Virgin Islands as the best travel destination.
Tomboy
Ayana is said to be a tomboy at heart and because of that, she was encouraged to join pageantry as a way to change her appearance.
She entered her first pageant in Grade 11 where she vied for Miss Charlotte Amalie High School. She later entered the Miss East End in which she won. She then competed for Miss Carnival Queen.
She sees herself as a ‘positive representation’ for the British Virgin Islands locally and internationally.
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Like seriously someone couldn’t vet Ms. Samuel response before publishing them. Talk about bad english.
Ms Samuel is my girl but no she needs to really take some English courses she is NOT talking to her pets. This is serious public business people are reading. The world is reading. I would have never publicized those words
@ cents
Did you check the English in your own comment?
I have a Masters degree and I don’t see a problem with Ms Samuels’ English – unless BVI news was quoting her from a prepared statement. It seems to me that this was a telephone conversation/interview.
Question for you. Do you have a problem with Donald Trump’s English?
I wonder who is “@kettle”. Always so defensive
Sensible choice seeing there is no pageant this year, instead of going out and picking someone who has never been on stage
another one of the minister’s p— t—
They wanted this since last year. Not surprised!
If they wanted this last year she would have won last year…..
The committee wanted it. The judges saw differently.
heavens to murgatroyd, she’s beautiful
Between Samuel, the Gringe, and Walwyn just just killed a VI tradition and just stained this historical pageant. They can’t run nothing with integrity.
Awesome……Big up Ayana. Well deserved and earned
Awesome congratulations to a’yana she gonna make tortola proud
She really look like this? Or filters and chit?
She’s really that beautiful in person.
Beautiful. Inside and out. Best of luck. We support you!!