Melange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine July 2020 | Page 76

child in Grenada, long before
her participation in the Miss
World pageant. In her quest
for financial independence,
Jennifer sought employment
and was hired at the Windward
Islands Broadcasting Service
(WIBS) at the age of seventeen
right after completing high
school. Although that job was
initially administrative, she
was soon reading children’s
stories on air - impressively,
some of those stories were
ones she wrote herself! Her
affinity for broadcasting was
evident and she often filled in
for regular broadcasters. After
a few months, she was sent to
London to receive broadcasting
training at the BBC, eventually
securing a secondment to
the BBC Caribbean section.
Secretarial College, some time
in France, a stint at the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
and flight attendant with British
West Indies Airways (BWIA)
all followed. It was during her
employment with BWIA while
based in Trinidad at the age
of twenty-two, that she was
approached to participate first,
in the Miss Grenada contest,
which she won; then ten weeks
later in the Miss World contest as
Grenada’s representative.
Admittedly, the Miss World
pageant opened doors that
enabled her to travel the world
and experience different cultures
during her reign, but Jennifer
credits her many successes over
the years to her aptitude for
skillful communication, respect
and concern for others, plus
astute and genuine listening.
One such success was her
Jenny’s Place, a beach-front Bed
& Breakfast which she opened
on her birth-island of Grenada.
After taking an early retirement
from her posting in Bangladesh,
Jennifer decided her skills could
be put to further use in the
field of tourism. Grenada being
home, it was the perfect place
for her foray into this field, and
with the location being steps
away from the beautiful, worldrenowned
Grand Anse Beach,
Jenny’s Place thrilled many a
guest, making this venture quite
memorable!
Grenada’s scenic beauty, the
mountains, beaches and
friendliness of the people
made it easy for guests to
enjoy the island, but she gave
their experience a boost by
incorporating Jenny’s special
touch. A visit to Grenada is
not complete until you’ve
interacted with the locals, and
her guests were able to do
this quite effortlessly. On her
Saturday morning trips to the
local market, she would take
some of them with her. They
would walk around chatting
with the vendors, buying
souvenirs, spices other local
items and eating local food. If an
errand meant a drive to another
location on the island was
necessary, those who wanted