Former Miss British Virgin Islands, Abigail F. Hyndman (right), who recently brought much recognition for the Territory at the Miss Universe Pageant 2012 where she placed in the Top Ten in the Costume Segment has called on Virgin Islanders to rally around their queen Miss Sharie B. deCastro (left) so that she could achieve more than her at the next global pageant. Photo: VINO

Beautiful 22-year-old Abigail F. Hyndman did the Virgin Islands proud by placing 7th among the top ten for the best costume at the Miss Universe Pageant in Las Vegas on December 19, 2012. Photo: missuniverse.com

Reflecting on her reign as Miss BVI 2011/2012, Ms Hyndman said it has been a journey and one where she has learned so much. “I am definitely not the same person I was when I first won my title. I am more confident and more assured of myself and definitely coming in to my own. That is what the Miss British Virgin Islands experience is supposed to be about. You are supposed to walk out of it a bigger and better person. Photo: missuniverse.com

Ms Abigail F. Hyndman at the Miss Universe 2012 pageant. Photo:missuniverse.com

Ms Abigail F. Hyndman at the Miss Universe 2012 pageant. Photo:missuniverse.com

“This is a stepping stone but we as a community have to really invest a lot of our time and money into the next queen so that when she does go off to Miss Universe she can do even better and bring home more recognition than I was able to... We have to have that mindset as a community as it is a community effort, for Miss Universe,” Miss Hyndman told Virgin Islands News Online in an exclusive interview.

Miss deCastro, who won the Miss BVI 2012/2013 crown in August will represent the Territory at the prestigious event, Miss Universe, in 2013.

The reigning Miss BVI had previously described Hyndman’s performance as extraordinary. “So I am just looking forward to meeting her and speaking to her to get an idea from her about her experience on stage at the Miss Universe.” She had anticipated speaking a lot with Hyndman because she felt strongly that Hyndman’s knowledge and experience could play a pivotal role in her anticipated journey to becoming Miss Universe 2013.

“In reference to preparation for the pageant she can teach me a lot considering the fact that her performance especially in the costume segment which will definitely do a great boost especially for our tourist industry,” deCatro told Virgin Islands News Online.

Asked what would be her advice to deCastro, Ms Hyndman said “be yourself,” adding that “I think there is this stereotype that in order to well at a pageant such as Miss Universe is that you need to be something else or look a certain way, or act a certain way. The Miss Universe Organisation is looking for the woman who is beautiful but who can relate to young girls and young women all across the world and when you look at her she has the type of poise and grace but she is sure of herself. That is what Miss Universe is in my mind and that is what you have to become, living and breathing that every single day which is why it is important that you start right now so that when you get there it would be second nature,” Hyndman said.

Performance has put us on the map- Hyndman

The 22-year-old beauty was proud to opine that her performance at Miss Universe 2012 brought much recognition to the Virgin Islands and hopefully would help to boost the confidence of the next representative.

“I think put us on the map...I think so many times we go the Miss Universe Pageant and we are considered as one of the people that are just there to fill a space and not as a contender and I think that this year was different and they actually took notice that we can compete with the rest of them. Hopefully next year and the years to come we would be bringing home that title. That was my main focus and not a person who was going into a competition to be a filler. I wanted to win and hopefully I set the pace for next year and the years to come.”

Pageant Experience was “life changing”

“It really is life-changing although I didn’t really want to say that because it is kind of a clichéd thing to say but you grow as a person within that short three weeks that you are there,” commented Miss Hyndman of her experience at Miss Universe 2012.

She added that the experience has opened her eyes and definitely has opened doors. “It has opened so many doors and opportunities for me this is just the beginning. It is the end of my reign as Miss British Virgin Islands but it is the beginning of my life as Abigail Hyndman the woman.

She also noted that the journey has also seen her make a lot of life-long friends. “You are meeting women from all over the world, who are the best of the best in their country, it is so interesting to be around them like Miss China, Miss USA, Miss Venezuela, they represent so many people but I think with me going there and having the support of my country and my family I felt just as proud as anyone else...Yes, I really did make a lot of friends from every corner of the world. Like I said, Miss China was a good friend of mine, Miss Brazil when she made the Top Five I was very happy. All the Caribbean sisters stuck together..Miss Canada was a great friend, Miss USA, Miss Australia even, so I really met people who I think we are going to be friends forever.”

Recounting the moment that her name was called for placing 7^th in the Costume Segment, Ms Hyndman described it as a “great” feeling. “You know every girl that was Miss Universe had the dream of becoming the queen and if not then you want to bring back home some type of recognition to your country. You don’t want them to think that you went in vain and that they spent all this money, and so I was very excited. The people and the community and the organisation, even the president, they really had great reviews about me and the costume and my raw performance, so that was very uplifting for me.”

Off the stage, Ms Hyndman also received much attention from pageant officials as well as the media. This was also mentioned to us by Chairperson of the Miss BVI Pageant Committee, Alicia Hamm in an exclusive interview with Virgin Islands News Online.

“I had a costume designer who personally came to me and said ‘your girl is fabulous’...The director for the Miss Universe pageant she came to me and told me that the MSNBC did a call to do an interview with Abigail in reference to her Bio which was awesome.” Hamm said.

Ms Hyndman said she did many interviews and that the media was especially interesting in the fact she wanted to become a nun at one point in her life.  “They were curious that here was a beauty queen that had changed direction completely so I got a lot of media attention over that.”

I am walking out a bigger & better person

Reflecting on her reign as Miss BVI 2011/2012, Ms Hyndman said it has been a journey and one where she has learned so much. “I am definitely not the same person I was when I first won my title. I am more confident and more assured of myself and definitely coming in to my own. That is what the Miss British Virgin Islands experience is supposed to be about. You are supposed to walk out of it a bigger and better person.

Asked what was next for Ms Abigail F. Hyndman, she sharply responded “I am going back to school.” She added that she was going back to school in January to complete her Undergraduate Degree in Biology at the Xavier University of Louisiana, USA. “I have been really putting it off since I have been doing my Miss BVI duties.”

“I think this is the point in my life where I want to take care of me. I have a lot of new interests. I really want to spend time with family, and hopefully I could be in a relationship, maybe, and there are so many things that I need to take care of as a woman and as a person,” Hyndman concluded.