JOANE JEFFERS
Age: 27
Platform:
My platform is the empowerment of women and children through hands-on healing.
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What IS YOUR FAVORITE U.S VIRGIN ISLANDS MEMORY>
My favorite memories are going to my grandfather's booth every year in Carnival Village, eating hot and fresh johnny cake and fried chicken, watching the parades on Main Street, and going to the Prince and Princess shows!
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WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ASPECT OF U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS CULTURE?
Our people are vastly diverse yet we are one. I love that the U.S. Virgin Islands is a giant melting pot made up of different cultures and religions and shows the rest of the world that during adversity we will forever be VI Nice and VI Strong. We take care of one another without question, and welcome everyone who can't resist our tropical paradise!
IF YOU COULD HAVE DINNER WITH ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
I would love to cook dinner for Michelle Obama! Her advocacy for nutrition, women's rights, and healthy living along with her impeccable fashion sense makes her a modern-day "Shero".
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WhAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE "CONFIDENTLY BEAUTIFUL"?
Confidently beautiful to me means being compassionate, motivated, accepting, strong, graceful, and determined to be your most genuine self. It means bypassing the standards set by society and realizing that your flaws are what make you unique.
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WhY DO YOU WANT TO BE MISS UNIVERSE UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS?
Ecclesiastes 9:11 NIV " I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance to them all."
Millions of little girls watch the Miss Universe pageant each year with hopes and dreams of representing their country/territory, I was one of them in 1998 watching as Wendy from TNT was crowned Miss Universe. It may have not been my time last year, but this year I get another chance to show the universe my willingness to carry the U.S Virgin Islands title with honor. I am ready to be the voice that inspires and ignites change, accepting all of the responsibilities that come with this privilege. Every step that I have taken in this life has led me to this path where I can be the representation that our young girls desperately need.
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TELL US ABOUT AN IMPORTANT PROJECT YOU'VE WORKED ON RECENTLY. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU? WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT? WHO DID IT HELP?
I recently had the opportunity to work with several queens at the Delray Beach Gong Show in support of Living Hungry. We raised $28,000 dollars in under 2 hours for students in the area who are homeless and going hungry each and everyday. These students have families that have limited resources for food. Something that each one of us couldn’t possibly imagine. This opportunity touched my heart and with or without a crown this is a social issue that I want to continue to combat because it is a nationwide issue. I feel no child should have to go to bed hungry and no parent should have to worry about where the next meal is coming from. This started with 166 students in just one community, but it doesn’t need to stop there.