My Conversation with Miss Dominica, Marisol John Long Live the Queen!

Reigning Miss Dominica, Marisol John, has demonstrated that she enjoys creating her own quotes. That was clear when she spoke to me on January 30, 2020 about the ups and downs of her reign.

"Shining is overrated, so sparkle and leave a trail of glitter that mesmerizes".

That's the quote she threw at me and that's how she explained it: instead of shining for a moment, sparkle throughout your entire life and leave a trail of glitter that people can actually see.

It is evident that John has lived up to that expectation by winning the title of Miss Dominica in 2019.

Marisol John, 24, the winner of the Carnival Queen pageant in 2019 is the epitome of grace and elegance; she continues to inspire all her "subjects" around her as well aspire towards a bright and inordinately successful future.

Hailing from the village of Sultan, John currently teaches various subjects at the Convent High School in Roseau including religion and biology. She expressed her desire to continue "Royal", a project she created to empower the youth here in Dominica even after her reign has ended. She enjoys helping the young people especially those who are less fortunate.

With intentions to study biomedical engineering, Marisol speaks of her desire to help find cures for various diseases and viruses that plague the world, much like the deadly and new coronavirus.

As Miss Dominica one of the duties she had to fulfill entailed representing Dominica at regional competitions such as the Jaycees Caribbean Culture Queen competition and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) show. She also performed the duties of our Miss Dominica and she spoke of the insights she gained on developing relationship with others which was a powerful experience.

"I now know what to expect, what to do and what to say", John said.

She mentioned that "Miss Dominica" is a ceremonial title and therefore, as reigning queen, she had to be present at certain events as where she welcomed delegates.

The Miss Dominica 2019 expresses great delight and encouragement towards the current participants of this year's pageant.

"…I encourage them to be themselves, stick to their opinions and to not be afraid of themselves." John said.

Her perception of carnival has changed as a result of her experience, yet she looks forward to attending the pageantries surrounding the season she enjoys.

John has declared that her religious background played a large part in her decision to pursue the title despite feelings of the contrary.

John's mother is her role model.

"She's everything I want to be, everything I want to achieve. She didn't come from a rich background but she made it for herself and she kept close to God," John said. She described her mother as the head of her support system amidst all the doubts and criticism encountered throughout the Carnival Queen competition.

John fondly remembers her childhood dream of becoming Miss Dominica and the fact that she succeeded in doing so. But she also dreamt about participating in the Miss Universe competition but that did not happen. However, the idea is merely a possibility as she fully intends to focus her life and on her career.

the competition, as well as reigning queen, John continued to stress the fact that the entire experience has made her a better person and she is hoping to continue to strive towards even greater things despite the fact that her reign is coming to an end.