By Stefan Attanassov

When MSU Junior Fatisha Imo competed at Miss World Pageant 2010, she literally reached 12 feet closer to the sky.

Imo, 25, rose beyond the history of her country to become the second person ever to represent St. Kitts and Nevis at the beauty competition, following the footsteps of her godmother Haley Cassius in 1988.

“Footsteps,” however, is a down-to-earth, grounded and inaccurate description of Imo’s performance. She danced Moko Jumbie, a unique West African dance, on 12-feet-long stilts to place top 20 in the World Talent section.

For Imo, this was the climax of a three-year development as a pageant with careful attention to every singe detail of her personality and appearance.

“You have to find a way to stand out among 114 beautiful women,” she said. “You know, the walk, the look, the eyes.”

Imo’s first beauty contest was in 2007 at the National Carnival Queen Pageant where she ended up 2nd .

A series of contests followed, culminating with Miss Caribbean World Pageant 2010 where Imo won the Best Performing Talent section, standing out among contestants from Puerto Rico, Guyana and other countries.

“This experience molded me,” said Imo, who sees pageantry as a matter of careful training and preparation rather than one-night event.

In June 2010, as part of her preparation for Miss World, Imo went to New York to train with Lu Sierra—a supermodel, official coach from Miss Universe and Miss USA and one of the most renown models in the world.

“Lu Sierra taught me everything I needed to know,” Imo said. “From how to maintain confidence and have high self esteem to wardrobe tips, charming tips, modeling tips, hair tips and even smiling tips.”

Miss World, however, is not only about smiling. Imo had to run, jump and swim as part of the competition for the Miss World Fitness/Sportswoman section.

Overall, she ended up 2nd in running and qualified among the top 20 sportswomen.

Imo competed on even teams with women who had spent more than a year for their preparation for Miss World.

She did not have the chance to start her preparation until June 2010 when the official competition started on the 30th October the same year.

Imo did not qualify for top 25 overall, but she showcased her abilities in two of the five different sections—Miss World Fitness/Sportswoman and Miss World Talent—ranking in both top 20 from all 115 competitors.

Imo came to MSU in September 2009 to pursue a degree in general business.

After she graduates, she plans to get masters in accounting and then go back to St. Kitts and Nevis.

“I want to open a dance school and a pageantry consultancy,” said Imo, who is also a jazz dancer and a chaperone for young beauties from St. Kitts and Nevis. She said that despite the glamour of pageantry world, however, it is all just fleeting.

“After you reach 27, that’s it. You’re off the map.”

For Imo, however, pageantry is also a way to relate to people all over the world.

“Pageantry helps me in terms of socializing with the youth,” she said. “The youth in St. Kitts and all over the world look up to the people who are in the media. As a pageant person, I had to visit schools and talk to the youth. Some of them added me on Facebook and shared some really sad stories about life. I used my experience to help them cope with it. Pageantry helps you motivate other people.”

Next step for Imo comes in October—Miss United Nation 2012 in Tanzania. She has already started her preparation.

“My biggest problem with pageantry is to learn how to speak slowly on stage,” Imo said. “I would do good in all sections and then lose the crown because of the interview.”

Such a statement, however, sounds like a pageant modesty.

There’s nothing but a smooth confidence in her voice.