Kamilah Tobin isn’t new to performing in public. On her native island of St.Kitts, she likes singing and dancing to soca and dancehall music, so when the judges named her Miss Caribfest – after a month of practice and with her inate perseverance, she wasn’t too surprised.

“I just entered to try something new and to add to my college experience,” Tobin, a freshman in mass communication, said. 

According to Tobin, the competition was very difficult and she had to work very hard to succeed but in the end her efforts, she said, were all worth it.

“It was a very difficult competition, hard work and dedication pays off, I was skeptical at first but I just kept working hard and eventually I got rewarded,” Tobin said. 

Tobin said she believes there is much more to her triumph than meets the eye and she highlighted the intense impact the competition had on her for the entire month. 

“Some nights I got frustrated because sometimes things didn’t go as planned. I had to call home to get some encouragement sometimes. I had sleepless nights and even got sick through preparations. It was a really rough month,” Tobin said. 

To have someone to look up to became increasingly imperative for Tobin and she credits much of her success to her mother, whom she believes represents true strength.

“I always look up to my mother, she is really strong, I admire her. Especially now that she is sick and still providing such great support for me,” Tobin said.

Tobin addressed the smooth, easy transition she had coming into the school as another aspect that helped her achieve success and feel comfortable in her new surroundings.

“I chose MSU because it was one of the cheaper options and very diverse. It’s great here, I settled in very quickly and I’ve easily made many friends from the USA,” Tobin said. 

Tobin said she plans to maximize the possibilities of her mass communication degree and take full advantage of the opportunities Texas offers her.

“I’ve learned a lot about the culture up here. I have a great appreciation for it, eventually I want to use my mass communication degree to enter a career in public relations,” Tobin said.

Tobin said she believes perseverance is the key to success and that with the right attitude, anyone can succeed. 

“I would like to encourage every individual to look for something positive in each day even if some days they have to look extremely hard to find that positive aspect,” Tobin said.