NASSAU, BAHAMAS — After preparing a group of girls to be polished, poised and officially presented to society, the Bahamas Debutante Foundation (BDF) crowned two ladies-in-waiting as Debutante of the Year.
On May 16, 11-year-old Leandrea Chipman and 17-year-old Jada Fox became the most recent members of debutante royalty, having earned the titles of 2021 junior and senior debutante of the year, respectively.
“When they called my name, I was utterly shocked because I wasn’t expecting to get the award this year,” said Fox, senior debutante of the year and 12th grade student at St John’s College. “I was already ready to start clapping for one of the other girls that were there and then when they called my name, I hesitated. Then, I realized they were waiting on me to go and get the award. Honestly, even when I came home hours after, I was just sitting there wondering ‘how did I get this award?’ I was just shocked, really.”
The high school senior, who describes herself as shy, said she wanted to join the program to tap into a side of herself that she rarely gets to use.
“I guess you can say I don’t really look to be in the forefront of attention. But I just wanted to build my confidence more and I also wanted to meet more people, get more perspectives and I wanted to find out more about other people’s lives and how I could do something in my own [life] to become better.”
BDF was not immune to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, having to, for the first time in its history, temporarily cancel its culminating hallmark — the father-daughter dance — along with other notable activities.
BDF President and CEO Christina Johnson, however, promised a more positive outlook for both winners.
“Although we didn’t have our ad booklet or any fundraisers this year, we gave them (Jada and Leandrea) a promise note that at the end of August 2021, we will give them financial assistance towards their scholarships through upcoming fundraisers. We are also inviting them to join in on next year’s session via Zoom meetings to catch up on things that they missed this time around,” she said.
Junior debutante winner Chipman shared her excitement with being crowned and continuing a family tradition.
“I wanted to become a debutante because I wanted to develop myself into becoming a young lady and my mom was a debutante and my cousin was a debutante,” said the sixth-grade student at Thelma Gibson Primary. “My favorite session was more of how to be a young lady in terms of how to sit properly and what to do if something drops on the floor.”
Despite COVID-19 restrictions, the seniors were able to participate in a speech competition, and both Fox and Chipman completed the program feeling more self-confident and having gained new friendships and lifelong lessons.
Girls who are interested in joining BDF, and who will be in the sixth and 12th grade this September, can speak to their school’s counselor about applying. Parents can also contact Johnson directly at 242-433-0921 or at debutantefoundation@yahoo.com.
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