Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs, Dr. Rhoda Arrindell could not be on island for the opening of Carnival, however, she still performed carnival-related duties during her brief visit to The Netherlands last week to participate in the students’ forum, "Study Successfully, Return Successfully" organized by the Soualiga Foundation. As part of the forum, a Carnival Queen was chosen to represent the Windward Islands at the Rotterdam summer Carnival in July, and the Minister crowned law student, Ms. Aishira Cicilia to do the honors.
Ms. Cicilia, a former Teen Carnival Queen here, was born and bred on the island. She comes from a well-known carnival lineage, with her mother, Felicia Priest, having been the flag lady for carnival for at least a generation. Ms. Cicilia has a collection of carnival crowns to her credit, which she captured over a decade of participation in the local pageants. They include the Miss Antillean Queen in 2003, and the Senior Carnival Queen in 2004. She will be representing the Small Islands Unity, a group of students from the former Dutch Windward Islands who have come together to profile our culture in the Netherlands.
"I was particularly pleased to have been asked to crown Queen Aishira, who I’m sure will not only do the Windward Islands proud, but especially her island, St. Martin," Minister Arrindell remarked. "Needless to say, she belongs to carnival royalty, both in experience and family background and we all wish her well in the Rotterdam pageant later in July."