Children face too much pressure

JABARRI SUPERVILLE

From mas to dance to football, 13-year-old Delece Rabathaly does it all. On June 30, Delece captured her ninth pageant crown when she won the Next Generation’s Little Princess Talent and Pageant Show 2019 hosted at the Hilton Trinidad, St Ann's.

Hailing from Vistabella, San Fernando, Delece has always loved culture and has been involved in the performing arts since she was 18-months-old; the first time she played mas. “I also started dancing at three-years-old and I won my first pageant at six years,” she told Newsday Kids. “I love meeting people and making new friends. That’s one of my favourite things about pageants.”

Delece, the youngest of three and form two student of Holy Faith Convent (HFC), Penal, said she enjoys pageants even though they can be a lot of pressure. “Some parents put too much pressure on their children and sometimes it can feel like a TV show. I talk to everyone and I’m open with the other contestants. I try to calm them down if they’re really nervous.” Delece won the form one to form three category of the Miss HFC Pageant, last year, when she was in form one.

Her mother, Anastasia Jackie, said Delece doesn’t enter every pageant that comes her way. “We look for pageants that encourage personal development and aren’t just about prettiness. We look for pageants that build character,” she said. Jackie, a fashion designer, said she always wanted a child who loved culture as well as education. “We balance academics with her dance and other extracurricular activities. She’s very diligent and she came up with her own study plan for school. She was determined to pass all 16 subjects for the last academic year and she did,” she said.

As far as the Little Princess Talent and Pageant Show 2019, Delece has conquered that hill twice, having been called back to participate after her first win.

“I was confused at first because I didn’t think she could compete in the same pageant twice but they allowed her to because she still fell within the age group,” said Jackie. That age group would be the 10 to 15-year-old category, which Delece enjoyed doing both times. “I had a good experience last year so I didn’t mind going back again. At that pageant they make sure everyone is taken care of and the show runs pretty smoothly. It’s a really nice show,” Delece added.

However, with nine pageant wins under her belt and years of dance experience with IBIS TT (Individuals Blending in Synergy) dance group, Delece does not want to become the next Miss World or Miss Universe. “I think I’ll be done with it by next year. I enjoy pageants and I really like the talent segments but I think I want to be a psychiatrist or a counsellor.” Delece said that in the pageant world she has seen six and seven-year-olds break down and she wants to help out in that aspect. “I think this generation can be a bit depressed sometimes because they don’t talk about issues.”

Delece would like to have her own private practice and said her mother, who sews all of her pageant dresses, encourages her to believe that she can be her own boss.

Apart from pageantry, Delece enjoys playing football, thanks to watching games with her father, Larry Rabathaly. She enjoys reading, her favourite book being the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. She also wants other children to get involved in a wide range of activities. Her advice to young people is to push really hard for what they want. “In 2019 there are more opportunities now than before. So push really hard. A lot of people may have degrees and stuff but what sets you apart? If you have the passion for something, fight for it.”