Young Bahamian beauty Vanessa Leach is eagerly anticipating her trip to Chicago, Illinois to represent The Bahamas in the Miss Teen International Pageant, which will be held on July 26 and 28.
The competition will showcase 43 delegates from around the world as they compete in fitness, fashion, interviews and community involvement.
The competition attracts people from the fashion and entertainment industries - from directors, producers and modeling agents to network executives. A unique opportunity will, therefore, be afforded to Vanessa to be seen by top professionals in the beauty and talent industries.
Vanessa has done many fashion spreads in local publications, including NU Woman and Profiles Magazine. She has also walked the runway and strutted her stuff in fashion and runway charity shows for Coles of Nassau and Islands of the World Fashion Week, has a talent for fashion design and is an excellent painter.
"It brings me a lot of joy and relaxation to sit down and create," she said in a release. "It transports me into a different world".
Her artwork has been exhibited at the Bank of The Bahamas during special exhibitions.
Miss Teen Bahamas International aspires to become a self-made business woman after completing her studies in accounting and emerging markets. She also aspires to learn Italian and French.
Recently Vanessa was afforded the opportunity to work with The Bahamas Children's Emergency Hostel, where she was able to take the children on an all-day field trip to the Adventure Learning Center.
"I don't like seeing kids look as though they are troubled or hurt. I don't like seeing kids being mistreated or isolated," she said.
"I think that many of the children at the Children's Emergency Hostel are fortunate to have a place to stay. They're not on the street, but it does bother me to learn how many of them end up in shelters."
Vanessa explained that her involvement in the student council at St. Andrew's High School was the catalyst for her initial visit to the hostel.
Both her parents, Kelvin and Kathyrn Leach, said with pride: "We support Vanessa and all of our children in whatever they aspire to do. We believe in Vanessa and know that she has the stuff that great queens are made of. She is diligent, hardworking, very bright, and has a genuine love for children as well as for community service."
The local pageant team is encouraging the public to go online to www.missteeninternational.us to cast their vote for Vanessa.

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