Kerrie Baylis, a 24-year-old investment banker with a law degree, joined an elite cast of beauties who have won both the Miss Jamaica World and Miss Jamaica Universe crowns. She is the fourth woman to take the Miss Jamaica/Universe double, preceded by Sandra Foster, Christine Straw and Yendi Phillipps. However, Phillipps has been Jamaica’s highest placed Miss Universe contestant to date, finishing second in 2010.
Baylis, who was crowned Miss Jamaica World in 2009, won the Miss Jamaica Universe pageant last Sunday evening at Jewels Resort in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. In 2012, Bayliss, also entered and won the Miss Jamzone International Pageant in Guyana beating out beauties from across the Caribbean. The Miss Jamzone Pageant is hosted annually by the Hits and Jams entertainment group.
She beat 10 rivals in the Uzuri International-hosted event, walking away with two sectional prizes: Most Aware and Best in Swimsuit. Baylis will represent Jamaica at the Miss Universe final in Russia in November.
With such a short time to prepare, Baylis has said she is very nervous.
“I am absolutely very nervous. It’s a very short time that I have to get prepared – just about five weeks, but I’m just going to work very hard to make those five weeks count, working double time, because if we have to do this, we have to do it the right way.”
Not a stranger to negative comments, which she has heard, Baylis says, “I don’t pay too much attention to the negative things that are being said. With someone’s success comes negativity, but I just remain focused, with the mission in mind. It’s really a shame that people don’t unite, but instead they choose to alienate others because of skin colour.
“At the end of the day, we are all Jamaicans waving the same flag, irrespective of our skin colour.”
