Shanique Singh | The Old Harbour beauty queen with a purpose of service above self

One such individual is Shanique Singh. Indeed this 25-year-old super woman struts not only with confidence but with an objective to use her platform to make Jamaican women and girls have a real chance to access and benefit from adequate sexual and reproductive health care strategies and services.

In this Old Harbour News exclusive feature, Singh tells us about her upbringing, the desire to represent Jamaica, volunteerism and future aspirations.

The Marlie Mount Primary and Ardenne High graduate, who recently competed in the Miss Universe Jamaica beauty pageant where she placed second runner-up, is all about female empowerment through education and best practices from a gynaecological viewpoint. This is in keeping with her training, as this beauty, with lots of brains, is currently studying at the University of the West Indies to become an obstetrician-gynaecologist. And she has hit the ground running, pausing only for her cause as she pushes forward in her mission to make Jamaican women and girls whole again, both physically and spiritually.

“I have always been interested in the sciences, especially human biology. I find sexual and reproductive issues with women so relatable to me so I decided to pursue it further to make a contribution in this field,” said Singh.

In deciding to enter highly prestigious Miss Universe Jamaica, Singh found the perfect platform to raise awareness around a cause that resonates with almost every woman and young girls.
That which prompted her to enter the Miss Universe Jamaica pageant also provided the opportunity to broaden her horizon and walk in the footsteps of others who have gone before her to achieve success in their respective career paths. “I’ve always had an interest in pageants plus my friends and family have always encouraged me to enter,” she tells Old Harbour News. “I also wanted to have a positive impact and focus on bettering the lives of Jamaican women. I found it to be a really good experience as some of the former queens came in and gave us talks and tips and told us how it was competing overseas and what the sisterhood is actually like. I especially appreciated the training with the walking and speech sessions plus getting to know all of the other contestants.”

The 2022 Miss Universe Jamaica pageant was just the latest contest of its kind for Singh, who is no stranger to competitions. In 2016 after shining in the Miss Jamaica World pageant and earning the title of Miss Jamaica World Talent, she participated in a highly recognised cultural competition held in the neighbouring island of Trinidad. “I was noticed by the National Council of Indian Culture and was selected to represent Jamaica at the Divali Nagar Competition which is an annual event dedicated to the promotion of Indian culture in the region,” said Singh who is of Afro-Indo ethnicity. “At the time I wasn’t all that exposed to authentic Indian culture but I managed to get an Indian dance teacher and learned how to wrap Indian clothes, particularly the sari and was taught how to wear and walk in it. It was truly an enlightening experience and a real eye opener for me to get to learn more about that side of my culture.”  

Though she currently stays in Kingston for school purposes, her heart remains in her home community of Marlie Mount in Old Harbour. “I grew up in a quiet, neighbourly community but before that I lived in Marlie Acres which was near to the clinic,” said the Old Harbour native.

For Singh, her early role model was former Miss World Lisa Hanna, who she long admired for being a straight shooter and a woman who was not only beautiful but able to hold her own both in any conversation and in a male-dominated arena such as Jamaica’s political landscape.  “People used to tell me that I look like Lisa a lot. I admire her because she is a strong woman who is not afraid to give her opinion while finding solutions to problems. Recently I met Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Saphire Longmore, another former beauty queen, so I also place her in that category as a recent role model,” she said.

At a time when everyone was terrified because a global health pandemic was wreaking havoc all around, Singh transformed herself into a de facto frontline worker, offering her time to serve those in need here in Old Harbour. When everyone else was self-isolating and social distancing, she did the opposite, delivering care packages to people who just needed to know that someone out there still cared about their wellbeing. “When the pandemic hit, we had to go home from school as everywhere was closed. I was back in Old Harbour  and my cousins were a part of the Police Youth Club and told me that they were going out to distribute care packages to older persons and people in need and I knew I had to be a part of it,” she said.

“I had to get on board and become a part of the outreach team,” she added. “This went on for about two months and it was a really rewarding experience to be of assistance to those who truly needed it. That is what Jamaica is all about: each one helps one. It is also the mantra of the Miss Universe pageant as it provides us with the opportunity to go out into the community and be of service. The tagline of the pageant is ‘enhancing lives through beauty’ and so I have to practice what I preach and make it a mainstay of my life.”

Singh’s fledgling journey so far is an inspiration to many young ladies, especially those in her native community of Old Harbour, which remarkably has produced two beauty queens in the last four years from a population of approximately 60,000 inhabitants. In 2018 Kayla Smith, a born and bred product of Nightingale Grove competed in the Miss Universe Jamaica pageant from which she was selected to represent Jamaica at the Miss Intercontinental.

Over the years Shanique has also made her mark volunteering in community-based organizations and entities including the Old Harbour Branch Library, Old Harbour Early Childhood Institution and Siri Medical and Dental Centre. If that was not enough, Singh also found time to reach out and visit the Yadel Girls Home in Bannister, Old Harbour. “I chose Yadel because I know it would be a good place to start right there in my own community and try to impact lives.  I wanted to share with the girls about the impact of the menstrual cycle and how to find creative ways to adapt a more holistic approach based on eating healthier foods and having a better diet,” Singh reasoned.

When not busy doing her part to enhancing lives, she spends what little ‘downtime’ she has doing her hobbies which include singing and going out. “I do love dining out, especially when I get to dress up. I love going to the beach even though I can’t swim. I’m learning as I go along,” Singh said.

As far as making time for a beau, Shanique has a fellow who she has been dating for the past two years but because of her high-profile work, she prefers to keep him under the radar and away from social media. She did share, however, that when it comes to members of the opposite sex, there are some qualities that she is drawn to and for her it is a matter of being a decent human being over being drop dead gorgeous. “He has to have the same good qualities I see within myself,” she tells me “so he has to be ambitious, confident, supportive, intelligent, respectful, kind and down to earth. While I’m not trying to be picky, I would of course have to be physically attracted to him.”

When asked to describe herself Singh shared that she is ambitious, dreams big and knows what she is capable of achieving. “I’m also empathetic and loving and sometimes I feel the emotions of others too much and that is when I pull back to regain some perspective. I can be an over-thinker at times but I still try to live in the moment while capitalising on the present so as to shape the future,” she said.