Sanchia De'Cage, a former Miss Jamaica UK, is in the island to shoot a calendar to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the competition. - Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer

Sanchia De'Cage is going against the grain. The 25-year-old British native is currently researching job options in Jamaica with the aim to live on the island.

The 2001 Miss Jamaica UK is of Jamaican parentage but has never lived on the rock.

"I've always wanted to get some Jamaican heritage and culture for myself, rather than have it filtered down through my parents," she said.

Jamaican parents

Visits to her parents' island home since she was nine have helped cement her love. Her mother, who was her primary caregiver in England, is from Trelawny and her father from St Catherine.

De'Cage has already applied for her citizenship and the process should be completed in two months.

In 2001, the Miss Jamaica UK competition gave her the ultimate prize.

"To come back to Jamaica, as a prize trip, was fantastic and, of course, to see my grandfather before he passed," she said.

A psychology graduate, De'Cage counsels teenagers in London where she currently lives. She wants to get involved in behaviour therapy for autistic children here in Jamaica.

The former queen is juggling a few things while on her short trip to Jamaica. She is currently participating in a photo shoot for a calendar to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Miss Jamaica UK. Proceeds of the event will go to the Sister 2 Sister parenting programme and the Denham Town Basic School. She will also be seeking sponsorship to enter the Caribbean Model Search competition.