Newly-crowned Miss Bartica Regatta determined to carry out plans

Twenty-one-year-old Shanae Heber, who is passionate about women’s empowerment, was crowned Miss Bartica Regatta a few days ago.

Though some are critical of her win, she says there is much she wants to do with her new platform and any controversy will not deter her from her plans.

The impact of teenage pregnancy was part of the young woman’s platform when competing for the crown. Now, she hopes to extend her focus more broadly on women’s empowerment.

This focus stems from some of her recent experiences.

Heber was introduced to female empowerment while being a member of the Girl Build Girl Foundation. The Board of Industrial Training under the Ministry of Labour recently selected Heber to be an ambassador for women in the oil and gas sector.

Though her plans are grand, criticisms following the announcement of her win have dampened her spirit.

“I was excited at first because I thought I deserved it but of course now when people start talking, you start to feel like was anything really worth it?

“Now I’m not as excited as I was before,” she confessed.

She is currently in Bartica and during a telephone interview with the News Room on Thursday, she explained that her other prizes- and not the crown- are under review.

“I got best talent and they [critics] thought that the girl after me should’ve gotten best talent,” Heber said.

Asked how this impacts her win, she said, “Well, the coordinator said they are not reviewing the queen-ship but just the special prizes because the slate was cleaned after the segments and the Question and Answer (segment) was based on how you answer the question not the other segments.”

This ordeal dampened her joy but she said maintains she is still determined to carry out her plans and her duties as the 2023 Miss Bartica Regatta.

Aside from the crown, Heber is studying for her Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Guyana and has become passionate about being at the forefront of the country’s new resources.

She is also studying Business Administration at the Texila American University.