- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 13/Jul 06:02

Suzette Smith dedicates pageant win to late mother

WHEN Suzette Smith won the Ms Magnificent Mom pageant on July 5, her son Kayden said, “Mommy, you’re a queen now. Does that make me a prince?” It was a funny and lighthearted moment. But even within that, the words of her mother, who died just 12 days prior, echoed in her mind: Your children are your priority. She grieved. But the 43-year-old Miss Carapo delegate dedicated the win to the woman who raised her to become the best version of herself. Smith, an IT professional for over a decade, grew up in Trincity and later moved to Carapo. In an interview with WMN on July 9, she said as a child, she was a tomboy. “I’m the last of three girls and I was the one who wanted to climb a tree, go on the roof to pick something. I was very energetic and wild,” she reminisced with a laugh. But while some were impressed with her tree climbing skills, she was always impressed by her mother, Lyris Smith – “a jack of all trades. “She was everything. She could do everything She was a fashionista, designer, caterer…Everything she put her mind to, she could have done.” [caption id="attachment_1166302" align="alignnone" width="768"] Suzette Smith (right) and her mother Lyris Smith. -[/caption] She continued, “You went to mom for anything and she would get it done. She was the organiser of our school events, she was always present for all meetings, she made sure that we always had things to go to school…She was my superhero.” She became a mother herself five years ago. She said motherhood has been something that’s both challenging and rewarding, especially as a single mother. “It's really beautiful to see them grow up. You see them at different stages over the years. You get to see their first walk, the first time they start to eat for themselves, catch your first first ball, ride your first bike without training wheels…” But she said as he is becoming more independent, it has become “a bit easier” on her, one of the reasons she felt she would be able to dedicate time to entering the pageant. “I did this project because I got into a mode where my job in itself is demanding, after work I had to take my son to do extracurricular activities, which I enjoy doing, then I’d come home to do household activities and it was just that every single day on repeat. And I said, ‘You're not really doing anything for yourself.’” [caption id="attachment_1166197" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Suzette Smith placed third as Nadia Batson during the Celebrity Impersonation Segment of the Ms Magnificent Mom pageant 2025, Cascadia Hotel, on July 5. - Photo by Jeff K. Mayers[/caption] As fate would have it, she saw an ad for the competition on a friend’s WhatsApp status. She saw it as an opportunity to “catapult into (her) own being and own feminine self” again. However, when her mother became ill and had a stroke in April, she was going to step back. But her family convinced her to continue. They said they would step up in the moments she was unable to be there. Smith said she hit the streets of Carapo to help secure sponsorship for the competition. Her personal finances remained focused on her mother's medical bills and her son. “I humbled myself and took my pride aside, put on my shoes and walked the streets to different businesses. I got some nos, I got some yeses…” While her mother was still in hospital during the first segment of the show in April, she was later discharged. But Smith said it was mentally tough to see her mother no longer be able to do things on her own and to witness the pain she was still in. “She eventually passed away on June 13. But before that, she told me: Finish the pageant." And she listened. The finale was set for July 5 at the Cascadia Hotel, Port of Spain. [caption id="attachment_1166196" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Suzette Smith models her evening gown made by Derrek Casanova during the Ms Magnificent Mom 2025 pagaent, Cascadia Hotel, July 5. - Photo by Jeff K. Mayers[/caption] “It got more difficult (as the finale approached). People would ask, ‘What’s going on with the pageant?’ and I’d tell them, ‘I can only tell you what’s happening today. I am taking it day by day, week by week. But when the time came, I think I channelled my grief into the show.” She said she was stunned when they announced her as the winner. “I stood there on the stage like, ‘Did I hear this correctly? And then I just said, ‘You know what, mommy? Mommy, this is yours. This is for you.’” She also played third in the best talent category and won best evening gown with a design by Derrek Casanova. Her family was in the audience cheering her on and they were brought to tears. [caption id="attachment_1166195" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Miss Carapo Suzette Smith, winner of the Miss Magnificent Mom pageant. - Photo by Jeff K. Mayers[/caption] “My son left early but at the event he was a bit confused watching mommy because mommy looked like a different person,” she said as she laughed. “He wasn't sure if it was me. But since then, he's been like, ‘Mommy, you're a queen now.’ And I think my participation in this also showed him not to be afraid to express yourself.” She also heaped praises on the “wonderful, supportive, enthusiastic women” she competed alongside. “They were really comforting and they didn't realise how much they were actually helping me in coping with grieving by just being there.” She recalled the advice her mom gave to her and how much she tries to keep in tune with it. “She said, ‘Your children are your priority. Don't sacrifice their quality time for anything else. Remember, at the end of the day, your job really is a means to take care of them, so always have a balance.’” Asked what advice she had for moms as well, she said, “Don't be afraid to ask for help. That's something that I'm still learning. Also, take time for yourself again. Taking time for yourself is important, getting that quiet time to put your thoughts together, even if it's just to meditate or to just sit on and drink something to feel the breeze on you…It's important that you have clarity of mind.” She thanked her sisters Natasha Smith and Marsha Smith-Cox and her entire family for their support, as well as the show’s producer Lyndon Ross, and all crew members who made the event possible.   The post Suzette Smith dedicates pageant win to late mother appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.