Miss St Catherine Festival Queen 2026 champions cancer awareness after family losses

The death of her mother from breast cancer in 2023 set Allison Williams on a path to support other women and families facing the same fight. That commitment received fresh momentum on Sunday when the 27-year-old personal banking officer took the Miss St Catherine Festival Queen 2026 title.

Williams, who also mourned the loss of her grandmother to cancer, intends to use the year ahead to grow She Survives, a community effort built around cancer education, health literacy and the empowerment of women. Competing on behalf of R.A. Williams Distributors Limited, she secured the crown at a lively coronation held at Eltham High School in Spanish Town and will now carry the parish banner into the national contest in August.

Her aunt, Joan Neufville, joined relatives and well-wishers at the event in praising Williams as a young woman who meets every obstacle with focus and self-assurance. "Allison is a go-getter. She is driven. When she goes after something, don't you dare try to stop her. She's going to win. She's just a winner," Neufville said.

That same resolve now underpins She Survives, which Williams has designed to sharpen public understanding of cancer, strengthen health literacy and give women more say over their physical and financial futures. Operating under the theme Prepare, Partner and Prosper, the project targets the linked problems of late detection of breast and cervical cancer, weak health literacy, financial strain and limited access to preventive care among Jamaican women between 18 and 35.

For Williams, the work runs deeper than any pageant brief. It draws on grief and on what she witnessed while nursing her mother. "I painfully watched my mother fade away over the course of a year," Williams shared. "My life was affected financially and emotionally. As a result, I want women and families to be prepared [and] equipped with the knowledge and tools they need to navigate these health challenges."

She noted that cancer reshapes more than the body, often shaking a household's finances, stability and emotional balance. "The 'Prepare' component focuses on health and financial literacy, ensuring women are equipped with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions. 'Partner' speaks to the importance of connection and access to support systems and available resources. 'Prosper' represents the outcome when women are informed, prepared and empowered to maintain stability and improve their quality of life," she explained of the theme.

She Survives will roll out through workshops and seminars in churches, women's groups and youth bodies, covering prevention, early detection, disease management and financial readiness. The programme is set to close with a community health fair in rural St Catherine, where residents can access pap smears, mammograms and other screening services on site.

Beyond women's health, Williams wants more young people across the parish to step into civic life. "My hope for the young people of St Catherine is that they become active participants in national development rather than passive bystanders," she said. "I want them to get involved, show up, show out and make a difference in their communities."

With national finals on the horizon, she said her success will be judged by community impact, not the crown alone. "I am extremely grateful and humbled to have been conferred the title of Miss St Catherine Festival Queen," she said. "This platform gives me an opportunity to make a meaningful difference, and that is exactly what I intend to do."

Coronations for other parishes continue on Saturday in Clarendon at Glenmuir High School in May Pen and in St James at the Black River Theatre at Iberostar Rose Hall, with both shows starting at 8 p.m. Miss Kingston and St Andrew Festival Queen will be crowned on Sunday at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre, beginning at 7 p.m.