Issue #9 • www.thwassup.com • 13
Amy Stephen
The strength of a woman
2013 carnival queen winner
Amy Stephen Article
Strength is defined as the ability to “withstand great force or pressure” not just the ability to lift
heavy loads or perform physically demanding tasks. It’s difficult at times to see your own strength
because often times, it is exuded when we are too deep into following our dreams or even simply what we feel to be our calling. Strength is as much a mental thing as it is physical. If you were
asked if you were a strong woman what would you respond? Is that something you even aspire to
be? Most times when you think of a strong man you naturally think physical strength, but a strong
woman is characterized by her mentality and strong sense of self.
Amy Stephen is a 20 year old woman from Anse-la -Raye, St.Lucia. She is well-known in her community, learning the importance of getting involved even before she was old enough to understand the value it would have for her. As a baby, Amy’s mother would carry Amy along to choir
practise with her. A habit that would start Amy off on a long list of community involvement and
great achievements. Under the guidance of Petronilla Deterville, Amy became a part of Sicilian
Rays. She was also a member of the Charles Cadet Youth Orchestra, exemplifying her talent for
music. As a member of Youth SPAC (Youth Studying Performing Arts & Culture), she shows off
another talent of hers in the field of drama. She was also a member of Youth Parliament making
her talents even more well-rounded. Currently she is a teacher at the St. Joseph’s Convent teaching English and Theatre Arts; going into the classroom with a different mentality. Her intention is
to learn something from the students she teaches rather than the other way around showing her
unique take on life.
These are simply some of the things Amy has been involved with. She became even more wellknown during her days at Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School (LHCSS) where she worked
with the school choir and helped them take thevictoryon two separate occasionsin school choir
competitions. She was also crowned Ms. LHCSS in 2005 starting out her pageantry years. She is
much more well-known now for taking the Crown at Carnival Queen Show, a remarkable feat
which does not even begin to capture Amy’s full talents. If you were to stop and think of your own
life, what would be your proudest moment? As a mentally strong individual, often enough our
proudest moments are not what others would consider to be our biggest accomplishments. Amy
is a free-spirit at heart and, as a free-spirit, that feeling of being liberated and being in complete
control is how she gains her personal strength. Amy noted the times in her life when she first learnt
to ride a bike and also when she learnt how to swim as her proudest moments. These accomplishments allowed her that feeling of being free. She could ride her bike for hours like a bird in flight,
no limitations to hold her back. Such freedom is strength because you are in control.
Withstanding great pressure is definitely something Amy has had to deal with in life. Adding a
label to something can be a simple task but when you let that label define the thing it can sometimes hold it back from its true potential. Amy, as a resident of the fishing community of Anse-laRaye knows the talents her community has and can produce.