Kavelle Anglin-Christie, Reporter 
CINDY WRIGHT, 20, describes
herself as a shy person, and says the Miss Jamaica Universe 2006 competition was a major step in
overcoming her fear.
"Winning is definitely one of my greatest accomplishments, because I am such a shy person. In the past I would never see myself getting up on stage, so just being able to be out there and getting over that fear is good," she said.
ADJUSTING HERSELF
Wright says apart from her 'worst' fear, she had to adjust other things about herself. Wright, who is also a Pulse model, says, "Our training, in terms of the walk and things like that, was a challenge. Even the walk had to be different and the expression. The posing had to be more elegant and it took a lot of practice".
An even greater challenge for Wright was adjusting her 'tomboyish' demeanour, but she says she started doing so before the competition. "I grew up in the hills, so I always loved the outdoors. I loved playing basketball, going to the beach and playing water sports and things like that ... My mom was always telling me I should look like a lady and I should start dressing the part and putting on make-up," Wright said.
FRIENDS TOOK NOTE
The transformation didn't go unnoticed. "The attention that I got from my friends was different. Before they would just see me in a pair of shorts and a ponytail and things like that, and now I am wearing make-up, so they noticed. It is a totally different kind of attention and it is hard to get used to," she said.
Wright's confidence blossomed and she says this helped her stay focused. "I had my confidence and I just made sure that I perfected my walk, but I was also trying to make friends with everybody," she said.
Still, Wright had time to scope the competition. "There was Racquel Philpotts and Tanesha, the doctor. I mean she was a doctor and an intellect and she seemed like she had a lot of experience, and Racquel was very well-spoken and out there, so I thought they were my biggest competition," Cindy said.
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
Now that the competition is over, she says she has seen significant changes in herself. "I was the kind of person who didn't really talk to a lot of people. I also didn't have a talk to girls a lot, but this really helped me to do that and the speech classes that I have been going to have also helped me to open up," she said.
For the year ahead, Wright says she is planning to work with children's homes. "I already went to the SOS Village ... But I am also planning to work with other homes this year, because that is something that I used to do before, and I enjoy going there and doing what I can," she said.
Apart from that, she is looking forward to attending the Miss Universe 2006 competition in a few months, though she does not know where it is as yet: "I am really excited about going; that is the main thing right now," Wright said.
