Georgetown: Rafieya Aasieya Husain was Tuesday evening crowned the new Miss Guyana World at the National Cultural Centre. She will be representing Guyana at the Miss World Pageant to be held later this year in London.
1. Tell us who is Rafieya Husain and how would you describe yourself?
I am someone who is consistently growing and takes the time to learn from both my accomplishments and my failures. I am someone who is passionate about the things set before me and ambitious enough to accomplish the task at hand. Because of my dedication to my academics, I am currently enrolled at Marymount University and hope to become a Certified Public Account. I feel that I am extremely goal-oriented and sincerely wish that my future plans do come to pass. By competing in Miss World Guyana, I hope to gain the experience of a lifetime as well as getting the opportunity to represent my county at Miss World 2014. I think my strong point is that I'm very forgiving. I always believe in second chances because everyone can grow and learn from their mistakes.
2. What or who was your motivation to join the Miss World Guyana 2014 Competition?
It was always my dream to be a model and at age 8, while attending Mae’s Under 12 school in Guyana, I did my first fashion show and I knew right away that this was my passion. I started pageantry about 4 years ago and I realized my love for fashion and the joy it gives me to be on stage. Pageantry gives me the confidence and experience to become a better spokesperson. I got my first crown as Miss India DC 2010 and I remember telling my mom that I will win the Guyana crown one day and make Guyana proud. I knew exactly what I wanted to be and also I was able to use these pageants as a way to spread awareness of my platform “Domestic Violence”.
3. Who is your role model, and why?
My role model is my grandfather Shaffeek Mohamed Khan. He was a much respected leader both in the Political and Religious community. He worked for the people and volunteered many hours to help the poor and needy. He raised a lot of money for charity, helped people in need and opened a Primary and High school for the children in the community. He raised funds by collecting donations so that the children who couldn’t afford to go to school can be given a chance to attend school and further their education.
He also worked for the Regional Executive Officer for Region # 2, and later for the Ethnics Relations Commission. He was for the people and with the people. I admire his strength, his bravery and his willpower to make a difference in the lives of others.
4. What is the one feature about yourself you would like to change/improve and why?
I wouldn't change anything about me because then I wouldn't be who I am today in front of you. I believe that my features and my personality define who I am. Changing or even tweaking them would alter who I am and it wouldn’t be true to me or anyone else.
5. Are you involved in any community organization/s? If so, why is it so important to you?
Over the past four years I have been involved with several organizations but two important ones that I have worked with are the ACT-Now and the Jeanie Schmidt Free Clinic.
Act-now is a non-profit organization that focuses on child trafficking and domestic violence. Working in the Mid-Atlantic regions of the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland, we have donated time and money to different safe houses and work with Law Enforcement to rescue girls in the area from trafficking.
Jeanie Schmidt Free Clinic offers free health services to area residents who have no health insurance and have a household income of 200 percent or less than the federal poverty level. The clinic provides services to children as well as adults with chronic illnesses, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
6. How do you cope with criticism and a complaint against you?
Everyone will have something to say about you whether it's a compliment or a criticism. I look at it as constructive criticism and almost every critique gives you a tool to more effectively create the tomorrow you visualize. We can always learn something and new ideas you may not have considered. Whenever someone challenges you, they help expand your thinking. Criticism usually represents an opportunity to make improvements. Sure, there are some people who take a sadistic pleasure in being nasty, but most criticism is genuinely intended to be constructive. Fighting back, arguing or being disrespectful in the face of constructive criticism serve no purpose except to escalate what may be a minor correction into a major issue. Willingness to accept constructive criticism and act upon it is a sign of maturity and professionalism.
7. To date, what is your greatest success and how did you achieve it?
My greatest accomplishment would have to be winning the NAM Miss Teen Virginia 2011 pageant. I was a full-time student in university taking five classes, I volunteered in the afternoons at the hospital or the clinic, and I attended coaching lessons for the pageant. In addition, I practiced my talent two to three times a week for one hour or more per day. It was a lot of hard work but I wouldn't change any minute of it. I think our greatest success lies directly behind our greatest challenges, challenges we face from day to day but its how we face those challenges that really matters in the end. Feeling discouraged or even despair when we’ve convinced ourselves that success isn’t an option happens to everyone but if we give it our all, then success comes naturally.
8. What's your favorite Guyanese food and national holiday, tell us why and how do you celebrate it?
My favorite Guyanese dish has always been pumpkin and roti. I think my love for it is either between the sweetness of the actual pumpkin or the fact that anytime I am with my grandmother she would sing this cute melody over and over again saying "pumpkin make your eyes bright". I have fond memories with me and to this day, whenever I eat it I hear her voice in my head.
As far as my favorite holiday it would have to be Easter. My mom and I would either go to the park with the family or the seawall and we would spend the day flying kites. After the day out, we would head to my Aunt's house for dinner and the kids would sometimes go for a swim in the pool. Easter is celebrated by all and it is a time that brings families together.
9. If you're to have dinner with two famous Guyanese (past or present); one male and one female, who would it be and why?
Shakira Baksh-A name that lives on in our history for Guyana by winning the Miss World Guyana in 1967 and then went on to compete in the Miss World and came in third place. I would love to meet with Shakira Baksh to talk with her about her experiences at the Miss World pageant and about her achievements. She is my inspiration and her success motivates me to make history again for Guyana.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul-I admire his determination and work ethic that he displayed over the years. Shivnarine Chanderpaul came from a small village on the East Coast district of Demerara and comes from a humble family but his father motivated and worked hours every day to teach him cricket. He became a young sensation in Guyanese cricket and later an international player who is admired by all. He is a humanitarian and sponsor of cricket. He has been instrumental in the improvement of the game in his home village of Unity, where he has donated his time and resources to the development of facilities in the area.
10.Do you feel you are ready to take on greater responsibilities. Why do you think so?
I do feel like I am ready to take on bigger responsibilities. I've been successful in the past with regards to my pageants, school and volunteer work and I feel I can do a better job. There's also no shame in asking for assistance or advise on how to go about a task and that's exactly what I intend to do if required. My training and experience gives me the necessary skills and abilities to make a meaningful influence in my future endeavors.
11.Tell us something about yourself that will help us and the fans remember you and who you are.
One of my hobbies is collecting snow globes. They are a representation of a city or a country through their landmarks in a transparent sphere, usually made of glass, enclosing a miniaturized scene of some sort, often together with a model of a landscape and other decorations. The sphere also encloses the water in the globe; the water serves as the medium through which the "snow" falls. To activate the snow, the globe is shaken to churn up the white particles. Every country or city I've visited, I've collected a snow globe to commemorate my trip. One thing I've noticed is that snow globes are not obtainable in Guyana and I’m hoping to change that. I’m optimistic about creating a snow globe to represent my country Guyana so that when visitors come to visit they will be able to take back with them a little souvenir of my creation and our country. Not only will this boost our tourism industry but visitors will be reminded of what a beautiful country Guyana is.
12. What would you like to say to your fans and supporters who are behind you on your journey as you compete for the Miss World Guyana 2014 Crown & Title?
I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the people who have continued to show their support towards me over the last few weeks especially the volunteers and fans as I continue my journey for the Miss World Guyana 2014 title. To all my devoted and die-hearted fans who continue to post notes of encouragement on my webpage, a massive thank you to each and every one of you. I want everyone to know how much I appreciate their support and I'm honored they are putting so much trust in me. It means a lot to know that there are so many people who believe in me and see my true potential. I will not let anyone down and I promise to make you all proud. Also, THANK YOU to my sponsors for sponsoring me as I embark on my pageant journey. I am also looking forward to meeting and standing beside the other young ladies who will be competing for the crown; so a huge thank you to all of them for being part of this amazing pageant. Without them, there won't be any competition so it's my duty to acknowledge their hard work and dedication. Girls, I'm extremely excited to get to know you all and hopefully we can all bond as we take on the tasks ahead.
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