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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Community
Nassau, Bahamas – After preparing a group of girls to be polished, poised and officially presented to society, The Bahamas Debutante Foundation (BDF) crowned two ladies-in-waiting as debutante of the year. On May 16, 11-year-old Leandrea Chipman and 17-year-old Jada Fox became the most recent members of debutante royalty, having earned the titles of 2021 junior and senior debutante of the year, respectively. “When they called my name, I was utterly shocked because I wasn’t expecting to get the award this year,” said Jada, senior debutante of the year and 12th grade student at St. John’s College. “I was already ready to start clapping for one of the other girls that were there and then when they called my name, I hesitated. Then, I realized they were waiting on me to go and get the award. Honestly, even when I came home hours after, I was just sitting there wondering ‘how did I get this award?’ I was just shocked, really.” The high school senior, who describes herself as shy, said she wanted to join the program to tap into a side of herself that she rarely gets to use.
“I guess you can say I don’t really look to be in the forefront of attention. But I just wanted to build my confidence more and I also wanted to meet more people, get more perspectives and I wanted to find out more about other people’s lives and how I could do something in my own [life] to become better.” BDF was not immune to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, having to, for the first time in its history, temporarily cancel its culminating hallmark – the father-daughter dance – along with other notable activities. “It affected us in that we weren’t able to have the full amount [of participants], because every year, we usually have about 30 to 40 girls in the senior cohort and about 30, sometimes 35, juniors,” said BDF President and CEO Christina Johnson. “But this year, we had to keep it whereas we could house them in our meeting room and have social distancing. And then, we couldn’t have our ball for them to dance with their fathers; we couldn’t do our field trips. So, this year, we were only able to have a luncheon with the girls and one or both parents; we cut our session down to four months, as opposed to our usual six; and instead of having our meetings for two hours, we cut them down to one hour, so it affected us quite a bit.” Johnson, however, promised a more positive outlook for both winners. “I talked about it with the committee, and I decided that we can’t let the COVID cause us to stop adding value to these girls’ lives. Life must go on and they still need the training in or out of COVID,” she said. “Although we didn’t have our ad booklet or any fundraisers this year, we gave them [Jada and Leandrea] a promise note that, at the end of August 2021, we will give them financial assistance towards their scholarships through upcoming fundraisers. We are also inviting them to join in on next year’s session, via Zoom meetings, to catch up on things that they missed this time around.” Junior debutante winner, Leandrea, shared her excitement with being crowned and continuing a family tradition. “I wanted to become a debutante because I wanted to develop myself into becoming a young lady and my mom was a debutante and my cousin was a debutante,” said the sixth-grade student at Thelma Gibson Primary. “My favorite session was more of how to be a young lady in terms of how to sit properly and what to do if something drops on the floor.” Despite COVID-19 restrictions, the seniors were able to participate in a speech competition, and both Jada and Leandrea completed the program feeling more self-confident, having gained new friendships, and lifelong lessons. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought, interacting and socializing,” said Jada. “Just talking makes me kind of nervous and sometimes I feel like I talk too much, or I don’t say enough, so the experience was pretty good. I liked learning about other people, their interests, and to see that they are not so different from me.” Leandrea’s mother, Vilda Chipman, is proud of her daughter for persevering, especially during a pandemic, and encourages all young ladies, who have the opportunity, to be a part of BDF. “I can definitely see the benefits of this program through Leandrea’s daily mannerisms and interactions,” said Chipman who is a past debutante and current committee member. “I believe that The Bahamas Debutante Foundation is very relevant and important for young girls in the Bahamas because it helps them with their transition into society. Mrs. Johnson and her team have impacted so many lives over the years and it is my hope that they continue to do so for years to come.” BDF, a non-profit organization, was founded in 1997, by veteran creative arts teacher, dancer and performer, Christina Johnson. The aim of the foundation is to teach 12th grade girls (and now sixth-grade girls) everyday etiquette, and how to consistently be a better version of themselves. Girls who are interested in joining BDF, and who will be in the sixth and 12th grade this September, can speak to their school’s counselor about applying. Parents can also contact Johnson directly at 242-433-0921 or at debutantefoundation@yahoo.com.
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