Miss Hamilton Parish South: Rachel Sawden
In the sixth of a series of profiles of contestants, Bernews today spotlights 25-year-old Rachel Sawden who is representing Hamilton Parish South in the upcoming Miss Bermuda Pageant.
A former student of Bermuda High School for Girls and the Saltus Graduate Year, she has a B.A. in Psychology from McGill University.
“My acceptance to — and graduation from – McGill University were big accomplishments,” she said. “I had my heart set on McGill from when I was 12 years old and I worked very hard to attain excellent grades and excel in my extracurricular activities to pursue my goal of being accepted to such a prestigious university.
“I was overjoyed when I was accepted into two faculties – Arts and Science. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in English Cultural Studies in four years and graduated with a G.P.A. of 3.3.”
Ms Sawden was an accomplished junior tennis player and represented Bermuda in an International Tennis Federation tournament. She also tap dances, plays the saxophone and is a certified scuba diver.
“At the moment I am working as the head of business development for a new marketing website, BermyDeals.bm,” she said. “In November of last year I started my own business, Wanderlust Boutique, selling unique handmade jewellery, t-shirts and gift items from South East Asia.
“I have been modeling since I was 18 and used my experience to get my start in television presenting for the ‘Bermuda 100 Day Challenge’ and I would love to expand into international markets. I have also been working part time at Tucker’s Point Dive & Watersports.”
The daughter of Ian and Marjorie Sawden, in January, 2010 Ms Sawden left home to backpack around the world for six-and-a-half months with three other Bermudian girls. During their travels they visited India, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.
“I fell in love with travelling and, in particular, South East Asia so when I returned to Bermuda I formulated a plan to return which led me to start Wanderlust Boutique,” she said. “The concept is to find and sell unique items from around the world and I began the first phase with Thailand, selling through shopping nights and private viewings.
“In the future I plan on expanding Wanderlust Boutique into a thriving business, making buying trips to new and exciting locations around the world, while writing travel guides and producing and hosting really fun travel shows.
“I was not sure what I wanted to do with my life before my trip but I had a revelation once it was over that I wanted to start a business based on travelling the world and sharing my experiences with others.”
When asked if she were to win win Miss Bermuda, what message would she like to send the wider Bermuda community, Ms Sawden said, “Making your dreams come true takes hard work and determination and never giving up in the face of adversity. Accept that failure is part of the path to success so always take it as a lesson and never let it deter you from your ultimate goal. No matter what your dream is, just follow your heart and never pay attention to the negativity of others.”
Sixteen young ladies will compete for the title of Miss Bermuda on June 12 at the Fairmont Southampton. Tickets, which range from $65 to $125, are available here on Bdatix.bm.
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