Crown Up ! - International
St. Thomian Adesha Penn wins Miss World USVI crown
Adisha Penn was crowned Miss World US Virgin Islands 2021, at the end of the finals, held on November 6, 2021 at the Divi Carina Bay Casino in St. Croix. She succeeds Miss USVI 2019 A’yana Phillips, placed in the top 25 during Miss World 2019. The representative of St. Thomas will join the 70th Miss World competition on December 16 at the Coca-Cola Music Hall in San Juan.
“Being in Miss World has been a lifelong goal of mine, since I was in the third grade, so it’s always been the dream of a little girl,” Penn said. “I wanted to compete a couple of years ago but I didn’t feel ready, but this year I definitely wanted to give it a shot. I submitted my application and now here I am with the title.”
“After being crowned I felt joyful. I was happy that my hard work and determination paid off. To be able to represent the Virgin Islands in an international competition makes me feel great and honored, and I was happy to be given the opportunity to do so by the judges,” Penn said in a statement sent to the press.
Cultural wear is the most popular segment in the Virgin Islands, one of several segments Penn won. Her costume was a tribute to the Queens of Fireburn as well as Queen Coziah from St. Thomas. “I wanted to pay tribute to the strong women of the Virgin Islands who have assisted us to get to where we are today,” she said.
Unlike some pageants, Miss World focuses on community service more than glamor with Beauty with a Purpose.
“Being a Beauty with a Purpose is the biggest aspect of it all and being genuinely involved with the community versus just doing something good in order to make me stand out,” said the national director. “When you go to Miss World, normally these girls have large platforms that they have worked on even before they went out into the pageant world. Most of the young women who win have been working on their platform pretty much their entire lives. They are well-rounded and grounded in the community.”
Prior to joining Miss World US Virgin Islands, Penn was Virgin Islands Carnival Queen 2013 and Miss USVI Caribbean Queen 2015.
Nhaquifa Russell and P’Azhae Harrigan were first and second runners-up, respectively.
