On December 3 the National Cultural Centre will come alive when eight young ladies hit the stage to vie for the seventh Miss Guyana Talented Teen title. These young buds have already had the opportunity to showcase their newly-gained talent of ballroom dancing to their family, friends and well-wishers when their cotillion and dinner was held at the Ocean View poolside, several weeks ago. On pageant night the delegates will perform a talent piece that they have chosen: dance, song or dramatic poetry. Recently, The Scene had one-on-one conversations with each of the delegates, to give the public a chance to get to know them.

Kimanda Dickson, delegate number one

A student of the Institute of Professional Education, 17-year-old Kimanda is preparing to write CXC next year. This former contestant of the Miss Mocha Beauty and Intelligence pageant loves to sing, dance, spend time with friends and family and eat plenty of food especially cook-up and chicken which are her favourites. Kimanda's two cousins encouraged her to enter the pageant because they believe that it can open doors for her. Kimanda says that she likes the things she is learning during this pageant. She took second place in the best dancer category of the cotillion, but said she had been very nervous that night. She said she even cried. Kimanda who knew nothing about ballroom dancing when she entered the pageant said it was good to learn, although it was a lot of hard work. So far she is enjoying the pageant and is looking forward to competition night when she expects to walk away with the crown. Kimanda loves the colour black because it goes with everything and also shows her up. She also likes running, chatting on the telephone and reading novels.

Rochelle October, delegate number two

Although she grew up with two sisters, that didn't stop her from being a tomboy. For her, climbing trees, playing cricket and football and lawn tennis are things she enjoyed while growing up. At age 18, Rochelle now attends the Burrowes School of Arts. This pageant is not the first for Rochelle. In 2002 she contested the Miss St John's beauty pageant but did not place. Two years later things were better for her and she was crowned Miss BV. In 2005 she was second runner-up in the Miss East Coast beauty pageant. Rochelle told The Scene that her role model is former Miss Guyana Talented Teen, Asha Pieters. She said every delegate of this pageant had to identify a young achiever that she admired. The people of her home village, Beterver-wagting located on the East Coast were the ones that pushed Rochelle to take part in this pageant since they believed that she is a good role model and has the talent to be adjudged the next queen. Her dramatic piece on the big day would be a dramatic poem entitled `Big C'. This poem focuses on how people become addicted to cocaine. Rochelle loves the colour red since to her it comes with a sense of passion. It also brings out her personality. She loves gospel and soul music and her appetite is not limited. So far the pageant training has been fun for her. Some of the things that she has been exposed to are ballroom dancing and make up application, which have always interested her. Rochelle is confident that she has what it takes to win the crown. What she likes about this particular pageant is that it just doesn't end there. At the conclusion each delegate is placed in local and international pageants. She described herself as a funny person who also cares for others. "I know what I want and I don't take nonsense from people especially males," she said.

Shebeke Williams, delegate number three

At age 17, Shebeke a sixth-form student of St Joseph High is making strides to become a lawyer. She will be writing sociology, law, communications and Caribbean studies at CAPE next year. Shebeke who describes herself as a fun-loving person enjoys modelling, dancing, reading and interacting during her spare time. This former delegate of the Miss St John's pageant is an active church member and from time to time has been doing gospel dances in church. She will perform one such dance as her talent piece on December 3. Shebeke, who has three siblings, was motivated by her teachers and peers to enter the Miss Guyana Talented Teen Pageant. She sees this pageant as a chance to build her self-confidence. Shebeke loves sky blue, as according to her it is a natural colour. Her favourite foods are fried rice, macaroni and cheese with baked chicken. So far this pageant has taught Shebeke ballroom dancing and she has been taken to the Mahaica Children's Home. That she said is part of the delegates' charity drive. On pageant night she expects to see a lot of competition since every delegate will be aiming for the crown. Shebeke is working hard to reach her goal and practices three hours everyday.

Marsha Chester, delegate number

four

This former Miss BV is filled with excitement as the pageant day draws near and she will give her best that night and hopefully come out victorious. Seventeen-year-old Marsha is a student of School of the Nations. So far this pageant has allowed Marsha to make new friends, taught her to be more positive about herself and improved her socialization skills. On December 3, Marsha's talent will be a song. Singing is one of her hobbies. She also likes to dance, model and spend time with friends and family. Marsha says she is enjoying the pageant so far but it is a lot of work. She doesn't have a favourite colour and says that she dresses according to her mood. Marsha, who describes herself as a fun-loving person, has one sibling: an older brother. She and her escort copped the third place in the best dancers' category on the night of the cotillion.

Sussan Simon, delegate number five

Born in Suriname to a Guyanese mother, Sussan and her escort stole the hearts of the judges on the night of the Cotillion and dinner with her excellent ballroom dancing. Being crowned queen is something that Sussan knows since she has won two pageants in the past. In 2004, she took part in the Miss Ann's Grove beauty pageant and earlier this year she graced the stage in the Miss Teen Ann's Grove Scholarship pageant. As queen of the last pageant, Sussan was required to enter the Miss Guyana Talented Teen pageant and so far has no regrets. She has two sisters, one younger and another older than her. She loves bright colours since she believes they complement her dark complexion. Her platform for this pageant is literacy and her talent will be a dramatic poem. In Sussan's opinion this pageant is different in that it teaches different things for example ballroom dancing and etiquette. So far she has enjoyed working with Artists in Direct Support and doing a charity drive at the Mahaica Children's Home. Sussan loves to spend quality time with family and friends, chatting on the Internet, reading and doing research projects. For this newly-crowned dance queen, learning the ballroom dance was tough. But with the help and motivation from her partner Michael Jacobs, she was able to conquer it.

Carmilita Flue, delegate number six

At age 14, Carmilita is the youngest delegate in this year's Miss Guyana Talented Teen pageant. A student of the Dolphin Secondary School, she enjoys being around little children who according to her liven her up. Carmilita says that she is a very quiet person who is every educated. She has a soft spot in her heart for people who are going through hard times. She has three siblings. After entering the Miss Mocha Beauty and Intelligence Pageant earlier this year, it was her mother who pushed her to take part in the Miss Guyana Talented Teen pageant. Her mother told her that this particular pageant could be an opening for her so she decided to take her mother's advice and enter. On the big night Carmilita will showcase her dancing ability to the audience. Green is her favourite colour since she believes it brings out her complexion. Carmilita also loves green because it is the colour of our forest, which makes Guyana a beautiful place. She expects to win on pageant night because she has been working hard towards achieving that goal.

Ashma John, delegate number seven

Seventeen-year-old Ashma is a sixth form student of School of the Nations and hopes to one day become a fashion designer and interior designer. Her love for interior design comes from her mother, she said, who takes good care of the house and has good colour coordination. She believes that this particular pageant is not only about modelling and gowns, but also about the things the delegates are exposed to, that will mould them into successful young ladies. Ashma's escort could not keep up with the ballroom training and she had to find a second escort two weeks before the Cotillion. Peer pressure is her platform. She chose that particular topic because she believes that that is a growing social problem among teenagers and the possibility exists that it could affect the future generation. Pageantry is something she will consider in the future. Ashma made the decision to enter the Miss Guyana Talented Teen pageant because of her admiration for former queens like Ulex Atwell and Asha Pieters who, she feels, set a standard in the world of pageantry. She is the fourth of six children for her parents. Ashma describes herself as a fun young woman who has an independent and kind character. She has been a ballet dancer for 11 years and she is prepared to showcase this talent on pageant night.

Jenel Cox, delegate number eight

At the tender age of 16, Jenel is pursuing a degree in English at the University of Guyana. This St Stanislaus old girl chose wildlife preservation in Guyana as her platform and described herself as a kind, hardworking and outgoing person. Jenel loves nice clothes and accessories and is a fashion-conscious person. She likes anything Chinese and believes she got that from her mother who is half Chinese. Jenel despises people who tell lies. Pink is her colour and singing, dancing, shopping and making people laugh are the things Jenel likes to do in her spare time.

She says she is not one of those spoilt children although she is the only child for her parents. According to her, her parents have made sure that she is very disciplined. Jenel is an altar server at the St James the Less Anglican Church and in August this year was crowned Miss Guyana Anglican Youth Diocese.