After the five finalists were selected out of the 20 delegates, Mia won the hearts of the judges for the way she handled herself during the interview session with host Walter Green.

Her 285 points were 43 more than that of Collins’ 242, although first runner-up Petal DeSantos won this aspect of the competition, racking up 290 points.

Mia also beat Collins in the final question, scoring 428 points compared to Collins’ 401 and Petal’s 413.

Those points tallied together won Mia the prize of representing Guyana at the Miss Universe 2002 pageant billed for Puerto Rico on May 29. Once the finalists were selected, the scores from the previous aspects of the competition did not matter, it was pointed out.

Thus Lumumba endorsed the judges’ decision at a press conference held yesterday at the GTV Channel 11 studio, Homestretch Avenue.

“The delegates themselves voted for Ms Rahaman as Miss Congeniality and that means they thought she was a leader, that she was kind, that she was beautiful, that she was a good person, that she was a sensitive person and that she can represent them all,” he told reporters.

Miss Universe 1998, Trinidad’s Wendy Fitzwilliam, a judge of Saturday’s contest, repeated yesterday that she thought Mia has what it takes for the Miss Universe contest. Fitzwilliam added that “the audience’s opinion really does not matter” since the judges were told repeatedly that they cannot respond to the cheers of the crowd.

“Your delegate is basically applying for the job of Miss Universe for the entire year. She has to look great. Looking great is important, but also being able to interact with everyone is very important,” Fitzwilliam said at yesterday’s press conference

“You need a young woman who ‘pops’ when she walks into a room. She gets the attention of the press, and everyone else, without opening her mouth. That’s the first thing the Miss Universe organisation is looking for; someone who commands attention. And once you fit the look requirement, you had better be able to open your mouth and speak to anyone, interact with anyone, comfortably. And again, Mia was able to do that,” Wendy Fitzwilliam said.

“Mia certainly performed the best on that night. She shone. So I hope that the Guyanese public gives this young lady the full support she deserves. When you leave your country, the feeling of pride you take with you if you know that your people support you means a lot. And it goes a long way at Miss Universe,” she added.

Miss USA first runner-up Liane Angus, also a judge of the competition, said that there is a certain look that is sought for in a queen, and Mia had what the judges were looking for.

“It has a lot to do with the qualities of that person. It’s her intelligence, it’s her demeanor,” Angus said.

Speaking of Mia’s weight, Angus said, “She has the courage and will” to work it off in the gym.

Mr Robert Dover, who trained Liane and the reigning Miss USA/Universe, said, “You can come to it with weight, but you can lose it.”

“Ms. Rahaman has the look for Miss Universe. She has the look, she has the personality, she has the appearance, she is elegant, she is sophisticated and she fits the title,” he said.

Mia said she will do her best in representing Guyana at Miss Universe, and asks only for the support of Guyanese.

She leaves Guyana not later than next Tuesday for the United States where she will undergo training by Dover, before leaving for Puerto Rico.