Feb. 18, 2003 – St. Thomas campus student Alba Harrigan almost made a clean sweep of the prizes up for grabs in the 2003 Miss University of the Virgin Islands Ambassadorial Competition, taking five of the seven category awards in addition to the title.
The contest drew an audience of about 300 to view four contestants vying for the title. They were judged on business wear, introduction, ambassadorial presentation, talent, evening wear and a question and answer, plus personal interviews conducted prior to the public competition Saturday night at Island Center.
When it was all over, Harrigan came away with awards for Best Ambassadorial Presentation, Best Talent, Best Evening Wear and Miss Intellect. Those prizes are awarded to the contestant with the highest score in each category, according to UVI public relations person Nanyamka Farrelly. Harrigan also won Miss Congeniality, a prize awarded by the other contestants.
First runner-up was Demelza Lawrence, of the St. Croix campus. Second and third runners-up were Michael Lake and Keischa Brooks, respectively. Both are students on the St. Thomas campus.
Lake won in the Miss Photogenic category, and Brooks took the prize for Miss Popularity, which was based on a fund raiser in which the candidates sold votes for $1 each.
Miss UVI serves as an ambassador for the school, Farrelly said: "She is a voice for the students and will be attending functions and representing the university when necessary."
As Miss UVI, Harrigan will receive a full year's tuition and room and board at the university. She also won a laptop computer and other gifts from local businesses. The other contestants took home Palm Pilots and other gifts.
This year, contestants campaigned on platforms. Harrigan's focused on youth and the importance of self-esteem. Harrigan pledged that, as Miss UVI, she would visit local schools and speak to children about having positive self-esteem.
Harrigan is a sophomore psychology major. She plans to become an interior decorator and use those skills to create harmony in the home when she later becomes a clinical psychologist specializing in marriage counseling and enrichment.

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