Queen Giselle

Giselle was this country’s first and, so far, only winner of this prestigious pageant.

It was while working at TECU Credit Union that Giselle was encouraged by Brenda Joy Fahey to enter the Miss Trinidad and Tobago competition which she won as the Miss World entrant.

Says this woman, now 53, whose feet have remained firmly planted on the ground: “I went and won the prelims and filming held in Macau (in China), and then the finals in London.

It was an amazing experience and I did not expect it to happen. I won the Queen of the Americas trophy also.

“I spent the year travelling to at least 25 countries on all the continents, as Ambassador for Miss World, raising funds for underprivileged children and orphans and those in hospitals needing assistance, made guest appearances, spoke at events and attended many fund raising activities.

“My most memorable time was spent with orphans in El Salvador, where I spoke in Spanish to the children and staff at the orphanage and spent time with the youngsters. It was just after a major earthquake so I visited the affected hospital to which we gave a donation and was able to see first hand where our money was going.” At the end of touring as Miss World, Giselle returned home and spent another year travelling in the region and to some other countries, making guest appearances, doing other charity work and endorsing events and products.

The year after, she decided to use the Miss World prize money to pursue a double degree in Communications and Sociology at the University of London’s Goldsmith’s College, at the end of which she spent six months carrying out internships at some of the Hilton Hotels in the United Kingdom, in anticipation of coming home to take up the position of public relations manager at the ‘upside down’ Hilton, then run by then general manager William Aguiton, where she says: “I spent nine years before moving to a similar position at Angostura, then managed by Ian Mc Lachlan, and have been with Angostura from 2001 to the present time, for 15 years.” She is Angostura’s corporate communications manager.

Giselle married Heathcliff West (actor/ events manager) in 1993 The union has produced two sons – Kye, 22, and Kristof, 17. Both are athletes of whom she is very proud.

But then they have followed in their mother’s footsteps as she speaks of having had a “healthy balance of academics and sports while at St Peter’s primary and secondary schools in Pointe-a- Pierre, and at St Francois Girls College in the North for A-Levels.

I played everything, was captain of one of the school’s netball teams, was a member of the swim team and athletic team - even breaking a school record in hurdles. I also played volleyball, badminton, and later lawn tennis and squash.” However it was in the past 30 years that the beauty queen started karate at age 29 and carries on to date, winning medals, not just locally, but at international competitions such as bronze in kata at the Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation (SKIF) world championships in Australia in 2012, and again at the SKIF world championships in Indonesia this past September (2016), a silver at the US Open Karate Championships, a month later in October, and has won gold at the US Open in 2014.

It is no wonder then that, Kye, who is in his final year on a football scholarship at College of Charleston, in the United States, and was a member of the TT Under- 20 National Football team, is also a black belt karateka and represented the country on the national karate team; while Kristof also a black belt who was on this year’s national karate team at the Caribbean championships in Trinidad, has also represented the country on the national waterpolo under-17 and under-19 teams at the Pan American Games and CCCAN.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Miss World has spent time teaching young women etiquette, deportment and general personal development; giving motivational talks in several schools and clubs; conducting networking skills, business etiquette training for Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business and various corporate companies in the country. She has been on the board of the Clico Credit Union for several years, and was president of the local branch of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) for three years, as well as being a founding member of the board.

Says this still beautiful woman who above all remains gracious, friendly and down-to-earth: “Through Angostura I have been able to continue my efforts in assisting the less fortunate and supporting various causes. I am patron to the Dream Foundation, supporter of victims of domestic violence and aligned with the Firm Foundation Ministries in Carapichaima, with great admiration for their band, which ministers to youth across the country, through their music.

“I hope to continue to have an impact on people I work with, the young men and women I meet and teach, and the children who cross my path. I want to encourage them to continue to strive for excellence and toward their goals, while trying to make the world a better place in whatever way they can especially preserving the environment for future generations.”