PRIOR to winning the Miss Jamaica World pageant in 2004, Tonoya Toyloy-Borrows had already earned a first-class bachelor’s degree in pharmacy. She later did a doctorate, made possible when she was awarded a scholarship at the Miss World finals in Sanya, China.

Toyloy-Borrows — proud mom to a seven-month-old son — is owner/manager of LiveWell Pharmacy, with branches in Portmore, St Catherine, and Montego Bay in St James.

She did not make the top 10 at the Miss World pageant in 2004, but was overjoyed when she was named winner of the Miss World Scholarship.

“Surprise is an understatement. I couldn’t believe that out of over 100 contestants, my name was being called as the winner. I was ecstatic in the moment and so grateful that I received the scholarship to further my education,” Toyloy-Borrows told the Jamaica Observer. “At the time of the competition, I already had my bachelor’s degree in pharmacy and so I pursued furthering my qualifications in my profession, a postgraduate degree, my Doctor of Pharmacy. The scholarship was the start and covered my first year, but through hard work and hardly taking a day off I was able to fund the rest of my education.”

Twelve years ago, Toyloy-Borrows opened the first branch of LiveWell Pharmacy in St Catherine.

“LiveWell Pharmacy was opened in June 2011 when I was 31 years old. The hand of God was in my life and in the pharmacy then, as it is now. During the whole process there were so many things that happened where I can only say it could only be because of God’s blessings. My family — my father Frankie, my mother Jackie, and my brother Timmy — joined me very early on in the operations of the pharmacy, and together, with our excellent staff, we have grown to two pharmacies, LiveWell Pharmacy Portmore Pines and LiveWell Pharmacy Fairview Montego Bay. We continue to care for our customers as they are our family, first and foremost, and very much a part of the successes of our businesses,” said Toyloy-Borrows.

The former beauty queen grew up in Edgewater, Portmore, St Catherine. She attended St Hugh’s Preparatory, Wolmer’s High School for Girls, and later the University of Technology, Jamaica.

Looking back at the pageant 18 years later, Toyloy-Borrows said it was of great benefit to her.

“I am a true introvert with a sheltered upbringing and so entering a pageant like this was very out of character and a real challenge. Where there is challenge, there is opportunity for growth. The exposure to this extroverted world created the perfect environment for growth as we experienced training, grooming, exposure to media, communities, charities, and interactions with diverse people from all walks of life during our tours,” she said.

She said the highlight of her reign as Miss Jamaica World 2004 was engaging with the children and young people she met at high schools, the Mustard Seed Communities, the Musgrave Girls’ Home, community outreach programmes and other children’s homes.

“The innocence of childhood, the complete dependence on the adults that care for them and the hope in their faces are imprinted on me and I often think about where they are now, hoping that they are well, happy and living on purpose as the adults they are now. Through LiveWell Pharmacy, we give back to the children in our community, and this will always be one of my platforms, but there is more to come, for there is much more work to be done,” she said.

Toyloy-Borrows had a word of advice for females wishing to enter pageants.

“Jump in and be a part of the process! Thinking back to my own time, the greatest hesitancy was the fear of criticism. I would like to tell the girl wishing to enter to take the leap. It is a competition, but so much more than a competition. Criticisms are a part of life that must and will come. We have to use everything as fertiliser to grow. There is no one in the world like you, winner or not, you are your own unique version of beauty, you have value and a voice, so make your mark,” she added.