KINGSTON, Jamaica — The support of family means a lot to newly crowned Miss UWI 2024, Samantha McLeod.

On Sunday night inside the Assembly Hall on the campus of the University of the West Indies, McLeod’s family cheered her on each time she made an appearance.

“Having my family here means a whole lot to me. I am from a large family and their support helped me along this journey. This pageant was a great learning opportunity and I feel proud of myself,” McLeod said in an interview with Observer Online shortly after she was crowned.

Her runners-up are (2nd place) Kyra Ali, a student from Trinidad and Tobago who is pursuing a double major in geology and geography, and 23-year-old Negril resident Crystal Whittaker (3rd place), a psychology, philosophy and criminology student.

“Apart from having my own dental practice, I want to help the deaf community here in Jamaica. This is something that I am very passionate about,” said McLeod.

Ten girls competed for title, the first staging of the pageant since 2022.  The other competitors were Cheynenne Gowie, Leah Jay Holness, Shanice Slack, Demicka Linton, Rebekca James, Naia Cuadra and Natanya Watson.

Making the top five along with McLeod, Ali and Whittaker were Slack and Cuadra.

The girls were judged on personality, intelligence, grace and talent among other criteria.