Miss Haiti 2016-2017 has been crowned, and her name is Suzana Sampeur. As I announced on my Facebook page recently, the newly-crowned pageant queen was chosen from among twelve contestants (from an initial choice of twenty). Here are some things you should know about her.

1. She shares the last name of one of Haiti’s most famous female poets.
Virginie Sampeur was a poet who lived in Haiti during the 19th Century. According to historians, Sampeur was the wife of Haiti’s poet laureate Oswald Durand.

2. She’s a great admirer of the actress Lupita N’Yongo.
Suzana refers to herself as the Haitian Lupita, a reference to the Kenyan-Mexican actress who took the scene by storm.

3. Prior to entering the pageant, she had plenty of posing, and runway experience
Suzana Sampeur modeled in Port-au-Prince. Gigs will be coming up galore at this point, I imagine!

Above: Suzana Sampeur’s turn on the mic during a phase of the pageant.

4. She’s a serious business student.
She’s currently studying business management at one of Haiti’s universities.

Above: At a horse farm in Port-au-Prince.

5. It’s just the beginning for her.
Suzana will represent Haiti at the 2017 Miss World pageant. One of the other runner-ups will represent Haiti at Miss Universe.

[Pageant photos credit: Ricardo St. Cyr/MissHaitiOrg]