Belize City, September 10, 2016
The 10-year gap in which no Miss Belize Universe pageant was held has not stopped beauty from blossoming in Belize and the 10 beauties who graced the stage of this year’s Miss Belize Universe – Queen of the Jewel pageant made the judges’ job extremely difficult at the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts Saturday night.
International pageants favor tall, leggy girls with fashion model physiques and Miss San Pedro Dianira Rivera was certainly easy on the eyes in sportswear, formal gown or swimwear; she also had a large fan base which cheered every time she appeared onstage. She chose the bounty of the spiny lobster for her cultural costume presentation and won Miss Photogenic and 2nd runner-up.
But in the question and answer segment she was not as eloquent as 1st runner-up Miss San Ignacio Marcia Moody who stated “Do your best, believe in yourself!” as the best advice for Belize’s young women to succeed. Marcia won Best Cultural costume in which she praised the benefits of the honey bee and the Cayo fans would not be silenced when she made it to the final two.
The judges’ decision was extremely difficult, but in the end the Culture Capital’s lovely Rebecca Rath was crowned “Queen of the Jewel” by Miss Belize 2006 Maria Jeffery. A 23-year-old University of Houston graduate, Rebecca was the complete package – an athletic beach volleyball player, she exuded health and vigor and answered perceptively on social issues. She won ‘Top Model, Beach Beauty’ and was voted the People’s Choice on the pageant’s Facebook page. Her cultural costume represented the habanero pepper and Rebecca was quite eloquent in her monologue on the subject.
Rebecca’s prizes include a university scholarship from the Ministry of Education but she won’t have much time for that just yet as she leaves for Los Angeles next month to begin her training for the Miss Universe pageant, which will be held at the Mall of Asia in Manila, Philippines on January 30, 2017. She’ll go up against close to 100 other beauties, of which 61 of her rivals have already been confirmed. Belizeans will be rooting for Rebecca to be crowned as the successor to reigning Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines.
The other finalists in the top 5 were Miss Belize City Neidy Rodriguez – 3rd runner-up; and Miss Libertad Misty Swazo – 4th runner-up. Other beauties who competed for the crown included Miss Belmopan Lyanne Reid, Miss Corozal Theotisha Hall, Miss Esperanza Shamra Palacio, Miss Las Flores Moriah Lino and Miss Santa Elena Kimberly Price.