Germaine and Kia Jacques finished as the winning pair in the Senior Category of the 27th production of the Supa-Stylistics Mother and Daughter Pageant just minutes into Mother’s Day at the National Cultural Centre. The pageant was held on Saturday night.
In a sit down with The Scene, the mother and daughter spoke about their relationship and how the pageant has impacted their lives.
Up until their decision to enter the pageant Germaine was just a busy mother of four, while 20-year-old Kia carried on as a fulltime student at the University of Guyana (UG) pursuing a degree in Biology. She is still in her first year and once she would have attained her degree she will pursue Medicine in hopes of later specializing as a gynaecologist. Germaine works as Administrative Assistant at Eureka Medical Laboratories Inc. Neither had ever entered a pageant before nor had it on their bucket list, but all of that changed with one conversation, Germaine shared.
It was with colleague and friend Dr Karen Boyle, who had participated in the Middle Category of the Mother/Daughter Pageant in 2010 finishing in second place. The deputy chief medical officer encouraged Germaine to consider participating in the pageant. Germaine is known for staying out of the spotlight but after some thought she brought it to Kia’s attention and they decided it would be something fun to do together.
The model and coordinator responsible for getting all of the contestants ready was Ulex Fung and training began three days a week for two hours from a month running up to the pageant. The pageant had only two segments: Introduction and Modelling and each mother and daughter pair had to prepare their own routine. Germaine and Kia had missed the first two sessions and when they did show up and realized they had to come up with their own routine, they had to do it quickly. Luckily for them, Ulex often practiced with the junior and middle categories before the seniors, so they had a little grace period. In minutes, they had something of a routine, but their designer Quinton Pearson who was looking on noticed that it was shaky and gave them a few guidelines so that they were better prepared when it was their turn. Ulex helped them to perfect their walk and poses.
Quinton had a part to play in Kia’s poise as well. “Quinton helped me perfect my walk in heels, since I was always slouching. I’m grateful for this,” she said.
“Usually I would get off from work at five and pick up the other children while Kia has UG. When we get home we’re all busy trying to get things done. Having to rehearse forced us to spend time with each other,” Germaine said.
Kia added, “The pageant has helped us to bond with each other; mommy is more patient… When we started this journey neither of us knew left from right and would feel frustrated at first when we didn’t get it right. But as we continued, whenever we made mistakes…, we’d laugh about it even if the trainer was frowning about it. By the end of it we were smiling with each other despite how tired we were. Because of this, persons have commended us during the rehearsals that our bond with each other seemed natural.”
Being punctual was a challenge, since they both had to be rushing to be at the venue for training after work and school. Germaine managed, but Kia who had classes and sometimes exams starting at 5 would be most challenged as the training began at 5.30, but with junior and middle categories rehearsing first, she found herself able to fit in.
Not only were Germaine and Kia building on their relationship but they gained new friends through socializing with the other contestants. In one case, a senior category contestant had once attended the same lessons as Kia, but they had only looked each other’s way up until the rehearsals. Now they’re friends.
It was this same friend’s mother who showed them care and concern on the last day of the rehearsals. All of the contestants were trying to get everything in order for the following evening. Germaine and Kia were just rushing out of their hair and nails appointments and with everything else they were trying to get done for the day had skipped lunch. When they did arrive at the rehearsals they both had headaches. The contestant, Hollis David, went out of her way to get them something to eat and to retrieve some painkillers from her car. With her help they were able to finish their rehearsals with more ease and comfort.
On pageant night Germaine and Kia wore dazzling golden gowns, designed by the House of Pearson. They bemused the audience, many of whom praised the designer’s handiwork, as they worked the stage gathering cheers from the audience with every strut.
Germaine confessed that although she realized that they had many supporters, she never thought that she and Kia were frontrunners as three other mother/daughter pairs had competed in the pageant before. When they left the stage, someone leaned over to them and said they were sure to win. This built Germaine’s confidence, but she did not quite believe it and silently held on to the idea of being able to place at least. At the end of the night that person proved to be right.
They told The Scene that the pageant helped to boost their self-confidence and for Germaine, it helped her to overcome stage fright. Germaine admitted to being nervous in the days leading up to the pageant, and said it was God that helped her as she prayed a lot about it and realized that on the night itself she had a sense of calmness.
Germaine shared also that she saw her mother cry, so winning was not just a moment she shared with her daughter, but with her mother as well. Germaine who hails from Leguan said that she was raised by her grandmother and so moments with her mother are always cherished.
“Having had the experience now I would encourage any mother to be a part of the pageant. Even if you don’t win the crown, the experience is priceless. It was an amazing process,” Germaine said.
Although Germaine and Kia have not planned anything to do together as yet, they have agreed that there is no way they will just settle into their busy routines again. The pageant has impacted their lives so much that they will make the time for each other even if it is just once or twice a month.
Kia is already looking forward to taking in Breaking In at the movie theatre with her mother soon.
Germaine said: “I taught my children to be loving and kind. I admire Kia for her determined and loving nature and once she puts her head to something, she achieves it. I mostly admire her dedication to serve the Lord.”
Kia added: “Growing up I always admired how strong my mother is and her friendly and genuine nature. She always has a smile on her face and is very jubilant. I love that about my Mom.”
Both said that God plays a pivotal role in their lives. Germaine attends the World Vision New Testament Church of God and Kia attends the Central Seventh Day Adventist Church. For them none of this would have been possible without God.
They also took the opportunity to acknowledge those who helped make their incredible experience possible. “We’d like to thank Mr William Andrew Boyle [CEO of Eureka Medical Laboratories Inc], Dr Karen Boyle and the staff of Eureka, Quinton Pearson, Renee Chester [makeup artist], Subrina Walcott [Hairstylist at Envy Me Salon], Sandy of Luxe Beauty Bar, our friends especially Dominick Russell as well as friends from UG: Shanygne, Myranda and Pretisha, special thanks to the Supa Stylistics team because without them none of this would have been possible, and thanks to our fans in the audience.”
Germaine also said: “Thanks to my husband Cecil Jacques, especially for helping to take care of the family and to my other kids for pulling extra weight just so that we can have such an amazing opportunity. Above all, a big thank you to God.”
The mother and daughter have won themselves two tickets to any Fly Jamaica destination, business suits, gold earrings and a hair package.
