Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine January 2019 | Page 628

Shellissa Nanton
Miss St. Vincent & The Grenadines 2018 & and Flow Miss Caribbean Culture Queen
Shellissa shared with Mélange . . .
“Pageantry . . . gave
me a platform where
I could advocate
for my cause which
was being a voice
against bullying”
About her background. The last
of three girls born to Mr. Benson and Mrs.
Lineth John, I am a citizen of the most
beautiful place on earth, sweet St. Vincent
and the Grenadines.
Originally from the
small rural community
of Overland, on the
windward side of the
island, I currently reside in
Georgetown, located in
the same parish.
I attended the Overland
Primary School, then
ventured on to the
Thomas Saunders
Secondary School which
is all the way in the
capital city, Kingstown.
The commute from my
home to school was
pretty hectic and being
actively involved in
sports, it was exhausting. I was a victim
of bullying in my early childhood as well
as my teenage years, due to my family’s
financial situation and because of this, it
was very difficult for me to make friends.
This led to feelings of insecurity and
thoughts of being incapable of following
my dreams, which at one point made
me feel like giving up. It is not easy to
be trying so hard to make something of
yourself while the people around you are
constantly pulling you down. And, to a
child, this was horrifying! With that being
said, I thank God today for my parents,
siblings and the few others who I met
along the way who gave me their support
and their belief in me, even when I didn’t
believe in myself. It goes to show that just
being there for someone or having that
sense of moral support really goes a long
way.
Three years after finishing my secondary
school education, I entered the Nursing
Assistant Programme, which I completed
and I’m now a licensed Nursing Assistant.
Having always loved nursing, I wanted to
learn more about the human body. Even
though I was bullied I still cared for others,
because I know how it feels when you
have no one to call on, no one to be there
when you need them most and it was
for those reasons I wanted to be a nurse.
I wanted a profession that combined
something that I was passionate about
and the opportunity to really help those
who are in need. To be able to play a role
in helping someone back to life is just
amazing, and that is what nursing is to me,
the art and science of giving care.