Mickalia Forrester-Ewen, Miss Grenada USA addressed ceremony at Nutmeg Home, with Cecily Mason, president of the Grenadian-American Ex-Teacherss Affiliation in background.
Photograph by Nelson A. King
Mickalia Forrester-Ewen, a younger, fledging actress born in Brooklyn to a Grenadian mom, was topped Miss Grenada USA 2023 in September of that 12 months. She says successful the crown was “shocking and exhilarating,” she had no concept what would observe.
“However this achievement propelled me to turn out to be extra deeply concerned in my neighborhood,” she stated, reflecting on her one-year reign in an unique Caribbean Life interview over the weekend.
“It gave me the boldness to beat imposter syndrome and take management of my life and my targets,” added Forrester-Ewen, 26, who, two Saturdays in the past, introduced awards on the Nutmeg Home on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn to college students who participated in essay and poetry-writing contests, sponsored by the Brooklyn-based Grenadian-American Ex-Academics’ Affiliation, Inc. The competition was a part of Grenada’s fiftieth Anniversary of Independence celebrations.
Since successful the Miss Grenada USA crown, Forrester-Ewen stated she based the Forrester Artistic Renaissance Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit devoted to nurturing the artistic arts and enhancing instructional alternatives for Grenadians, each inside the nation and throughout the Diaspora.
“Our mission focuses on supporting colleges, college students, and academic organizations, with a particular emphasis on preserving, selling, and advancing Grenadian performing arts,” she stated.
By this nonprofit, Forrester-Ewen stated she had the privilege of sponsoring six college students from St. Andrews Anglican Secondary College (SAASS) in Grenada to attend the 12°N, 61°W Movie Competition’s Opening Night time and Awards Gala final October within the “Spice Isle”.
“These Kind 4 and 5 college students walked the crimson carpet, networked with professionals, and immersed themselves on the planet of cinema – sparking creativity, cultural appreciation, and, maybe, even future careers within the movie trade,” she stated.
Moreover, Forrester-Ewen stated her nonprofit raised funds to help nationals affected by Hurricane Beryl, notably these in Petite Martinique and Carriacou, Grenada’s sister isles.
Forrester-Ewen stated she additionally has been “lucky to attend unbelievable occasions,” such because the Caribbean-American Heritage Month celebration at Gracie Mansion; the Regional Dialog on Local weather and Well being Justice by means of the Commonwealth; the Nationwide Democratic Congress (NDC) New York Chapter Awards (the New York chapter is an affiliate of the incumbent NDC celebration in Grenada); and the United Nations Grenada Mission, the place, she stated, she “had the glory of assembly Grenada’s Prime Minister” (Dickon Mitchell); in addition to attending many different Caribbean-focused occasions in New York Metropolis, “representing Grenada proudly.”
“It fills me with immense pleasure to know that I’ve been capable of accomplish a lot throughout my reign,” she stated.
Trying forward, Forrester-Ewen stated she plans to proceed rising her nonprofit by sponsoring extra college students from SAASS to attend this 12 months’s 12°N, 61°W Movie Competition’s Opening Night time and Awards Gala on Oct. 24. She stated she is presently elevating funds to make this attainable.
Forrester-Ewen stated she plans to take care of robust ties with the Grenadian-American Ex-Academics’ Affiliation – “the group that based the Miss Grenada USA Pageant and opened the door to all these alternatives.”
As she closes her reign as Miss Grenada USA, she stated she carries together with her many “invaluable life classes: Encompass your self with individuals who genuinely care about your well-being and encourage your progress; attempt to be a pacesetter in all elements of your life; (and) proceed to coach your self on this ever-changing world, so that you stay conscious and knowledgeable.
“I stay up for persevering with my journey, flourishing on this new neighborhood, and staying true to my mission of elevating Grenada’s presence by means of media and leisure,” added Forrester-Ewen, a graduate of NYU’s Tisch College of the Arts, the place she earned her Bachelor of Positive Arts (BFA) in drama.
Her coaching consists of the Experimental Theatre Wing, NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus, and Stonestreet Studios.
Along with her appearing profession in New York Metropolis, Forrester-Ewen stated she served as the manufacturing inventive affiliate of the Affirmation Theatre Firm and presently teaches theater to college students in New York Metropolis. She balances her pursuits with a need to encourage progress, pleasure, and new experiences daily.
Final 12 months, throughout the twenty eighth anniversary of the sweetness pageant, organized by the Brooklyn-based Grenadian-American Ex-Academics’ Affiliation, Inc., Forrester-Ewen snatched the crown from 4 different contestants earlier than an ebullient, standing-room-only viewers within the Founder’s Auditorium at Brooklyn’s Medgar Evers Faculty, Metropolis College of New York (CUNY).
She was topped by the earlier 12 months’s inaugural Over 50 Queen, St. Lucian Sharon Eutrice Willie. The Grenadian-American Ex-Academics’ Affiliation, Inc., additionally organized that pageant.
On her method to attaining the coveted title, Forrester-Ewen, Contestant #5, additionally gained Greatest Introduction, Greatest Swimwear, and Greatest Artistic.
