Sienna Evans selected as Miss World Bahamas 2021
“Our team developed a platform that uses AI to match our patients to providers who specialize in therapy & counseling”
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Sienna Evans is taking the world by storm, quite literally. The Bahamian beauty wears several hats, bearing the titles of business owner, board member and medical practitioner; and now she will wear a crown as Miss Bahamas World 2021.
The beauty queen will represent the nation at the upcoming Miss World 2021 pageant as she vies for the coveted title of Miss World amongst 136 other pageant hopefuls from all over the globe.
Miss World 2021 is the 70th edition of the Miss World Pageant and will be held on December 16, 2021, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Miss World Pageant is the oldest existing international beauty pageant in the world.
In an interview with Eyewitness News, the 24-year-old, who came close to pageant victory at Miss Bahamas Universe 2015, said she has wanted an opportunity like this for a long time.
“It’s been a goal of mine for a long time,” said Evans.
She added: “I competed in Miss Bahamas Universe when I was 17 years old in 2015 and it’s something that I’ve always wanted to accomplish.”
According to Evans, although an unorthodox selection process took place in lieu of a traditional pageant, she still had to compete with other contenders for her crown.
She further noted that her prior experience in the local pageant scene made her a viable candidate for the quick vetting process.
“We couldn’t have a true pageant, but I had been through the pageant system before and I’m very familiar with the process and how to become pageant-ready,” she said. n
The St Andrew’s School graduate, reflecting on her journey to the crown, asserted that pageantry has refined her holistically.
“It was the first time that I really started pampering myself — I wore beautiful dresses; I started doing my hair,” she expressed.
“I started really investing not only in my appearance; I went through coachings to learn how to speak, be more confident in myself and that was the first time that I really felt like I was becoming a better woman.”
Beauty with a purpose
Not only will Evans put her best face forward as a beauty queen, but she will also lend a hand, using her innovation and medical expertise to help the disenfranchised in the local community.
Through her rapidly-growing business, Access Bahamas Medical Labs, which she conceptualized at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, she has been able to offer the least expensive COVID-19 tests on the island.
For the “Beauty with a Purpose” component of the pageant, she curated the community-based project called Access Granted, which derives from Evan’s mission to provide more Bahamians with increased access to healthcare.
“I wanted to promote a healthier lifestyle for Bahamians and also healthcare that’s more affordable than what we are used to,” said the alumna of the honors college of Florida Atlantic University, where she earned a BS in Neuroscience and Human Behaviour.
“The pandemic not only is a health crisis; it also ushered in a mental health crisis“, she said, noting the stigma surrounding mental health treatment in The Bahamas.
“What we did is our team developed a platform that uses artificial intelligence to match our patients to providers who specialize in what they need as far as that therapy and counseling.
“That is what I’m most proud of — to be able to provide for Bahamians, because there is such a stigma around getting help for your mental health issues when really and truly, you should treat it like any other health problem.
“It is also from the fact [that] there is not a lot of accessibility to counseling, so hopefully our platform will kind of remedy that issue.”
Written by Eyewitness News Intern Gabrielle Sterling
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