A’yana K. Phillips with newly crowned Miss Universe Jamaica Emily Maddison in her hotel room ahead of their photo shoot. Photo: Provided

You can take the girl out of the VI, but you can’t take the VI out of our girl. Miss BVI A’yana Phillip taught the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) referees how to throw up the VI hand sign before she would taking a picture with them. Photo: Provided

She was accompanied by the Miss BVI Pageant Chairperson Alesia Hamm, who served as her official Chaperone, and a Judge for the Jamaican pageant.

On her return to the Virgin Islands (VI), Philips described the experience as wonderfu’, saying “I had a wonderful time seeing their pageant, experiencing the country and representing the BVI abroad for my first time.”

Bangkok

During the trip, Miss BVI 2018 had personal interactions with the winner of the Miss Universe Jamaica Emily Maddison, who she had a photo shoot with the following day of the Pageant.

Queen Phillips also took the opportunity to visit Islanders who relocated to Jamaica following Hurricane Irma in 2017.

She also had the chance to work with professionals in the industry, receive high-level pageant training and meet pageant winners who will compete in other international pageants in the coming year, during her time in Jamaica.

The trip was her first stop on her four-month journey as the 33rd representative of the VI in the Miss Universe Pageant scheduled to be held in Bangkok, Thailand on December 17, 2018.