The delegates for the 2003 Miss Guyana Universe pageant were introduced to the public at the Cara Inn on Friday afternoon.
Twenty-two of the 26 girls in the contest were expected to be presented at 3 pm but they did not appear until 4:30 pm and then only for a few minutes.
“They are putting on their make-up. You know we have to make sure that they are looking good,” were the words of one organizer to the media.
They finally appeared, all wearing black dresses of various designs except for one. The dresses were sleeveless and most of the girls had their hair up.
Some of the delegates are not new to the national stage with three having participated in the recent Miss Guyana pageants.
Ulex Atwell, 20, Assistant Manager at Guyana Stationary Supplies, was part of the 2001 Miss Guyana Universe. Danielle McIntyre, of Linden an advertising representative with Stabroek News and Marita Persaud, 23 of Essequibo an accountant clerk, both were in last year’s pageant.
The other contestants are: Wanda Dey, 25, of Georgetown; Leanna Damond, 25, of New Amsterdam a customer service representative/clerk at NBIC; Julianna Fortune, 18, a student; Cindy Benjamin, 26, of Fyrish, Berbice also a student; Sheldyne Ferreira of Rose Hall, a student at the University of Guyana; Stacy Bynoe, 20, of Berbice also a student at UG; Deuel Carter, 24, an employee of the National Insurance Scheme; Tenesha Patrick, 18, of West Bank Demerara and a teacher; Melissa Pickett, 18, of WBD a student of UG; Shevon Thomas, 21, of Lethem, a student of the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE); Latoya Pereira, 18, a student at the International University; Pranita Bishun, 19, of Mahaicony, a student; Paula Balgobin, 24, of Bartica, an office assistant; Stacy Jack, 17; Nerisa Adams, 29, a fashion designer; Vanessa Tacooram, 21, a flight attendant; Tandika Samsodin, 21, who is into child care; and Annalisa Reynolds, 18, a sales representative at Artistic Youth Video Production and programme producer/hostess in Linden.
Those who were not present were: Deslyn Jack, Amanda Barnwell, Evita Walcott, Denese Rodrigues and Jacqueline De Freitas.
The pageant will be held on February 22 at the National Cultural Centre and the winner will represent Guyana at the Miss Universe Pageant in Panama.
Franchise holder, Odinga Lumumba said that on the night of the pageant there will be a grand opening and during the contest there would be short performances by actor Henry Rodney and performances by an international singer and a dancer.
The girls would soon start their six-week compulsory training and at some point would be introduced to prospective sponsors.