Kristen Wood, Miss Kaboom Infinite Energy. -Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer Name: Kristen Wood
Age: 18
Height: 5'10"
Vital statistics: 33-25-36
Occupation: Student
Sponsor: Kaboom Infinite Energy
Gleaner: Why did you decide to enter the competition?
Kristen Wood: I didn't plan for it at all. I was at Acropolis (Gaming Suites) and someone who participated in the competition - the make-up artist - suggested I should enter. She asked me if I was a Jamaican, what my age was and that sort of thing. It was a very spur of the moment thing although I always wanted to enter, but never planned to do it this year.
G: What is your definition of a beauty queen?
KW: My definition of a beauty queen is someone who shines not only physically, but she is also a person who is wise, with inner beauty, and stands out in a crowd. She must be very outgoing, very determined and focused and knows what she wants in life.
G: What do you expect to achieve by entering the competition?
KW: Many things. So far I have matured greatly and I have become a better woman also, with the grooming and etiquette. By the completion of the competition I hope to become a role model. I also hope to open a clinic for the less fortunate if I win the competition.
G: What is your best asset?
KW: It is m If anybody needs to reach anything in high places I will be there.
G: How would you sell Jamaica to a foreigner, in light of the high crime rate?
KW: I would sell Jamaica in one word - paradise. If they should shrink any country in the world to the size of Jamaica, there would always be a crime rate ... Despite the crime, Jamaica is a lovely place and you can visit and do many things. You just have to be street-smart and know where to go and where not to go.
G: What do you love the most about Jamaica?
KW: The beautiful scenery and the fact that I can just sit on the veranda and stare at the endless beauty ... I love the beautiful beaches. It is just an amazing environment.
G: If you could meet one person, who would it be, and why?
KW: It would be Mother Teresa, because she has done so many things for people not only in her country but worldwide, and that is what I hope to do. She is a great role model, my role model.
G: If you win, what sector of the society would you work with?
KW: The less fortunate. I would help them medically. I'm a student, studying nursing. Medical attention for the less fortunate is what this country needs, because poverty is a major issue in the country and needs to be focused on and paid more attention to.
G: If you were the Prime Minister, what changes would you make, and how?
KW: I would be working on poverty, because there is a big gap in social classes and I would try and even out that gap to get everyone on one playing field, so it would eliminate crime and injustice inour country.
G: What do you hope to achieve in five years?
KW: I want to have my master's degree in what I am pursuing in medicine. I want to be the head of my department in a hospital. I hope that in the path of doing that, that I help many around me.