Wendy Fitzwilliam - Miss Universe 1998

I was looking for an image of the universe and found this image of Wendy Fitzwilliam, below. Wowie. I had to find out more and see if Wendy is just another pretty face, or what. She is not. There are a lot of women out there, not just the Miss-Something-Or-Others who aren't just another pretty face either. I bet there are some Not-Just-Another-Pretty-Faces closer to you than you might think.

"Hours before she is crowned Miss Universe 1998, law student Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad gives her national costume a tiny tweak. Lesser mortals reach farther—and more strenuously—in an age-old quest to embody a beauty ideal as enticing as it is elusive." From "The Enigma of Beauty," January 2000, National Geographic magazine, Photograph by Jodi Cobb

image source: University of the West Indies Alumni Achievers

From Wendy Fitzwilliam's web site:
Miss Universe 1998, entrepreneur, philanthropist, mother and author; Wendy Marcelle Fitzwilliam was born on October 4, 1972 in Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago to Juditha and Noel Fitzwilliam. Noel and Juditha (a fire officer and teacher respectively), raised Wendy and her younger sister Dionyse with staunch Christian beliefs and a penchant for merriment and steadfastness which they greatly attribute to their well rounded development and success.

On May 12th 1998 in Honolulu Wendy made history when she became the third woman of colour and second Trinidadian woman to capture the Miss Universe Crown, (and remains the first and only black title holder to crown another Miss Universe of African descent). Her win, which came just two months before her final exams to qualify as an Attorney at Law, set her feet on the road to becoming one of the most known and celebrated personalities from the Caribbean.

Little over 10 years have passed since Wendy’s beauty and intelligence, won her the Miss Universe Crown. In those years she has forged a fantastic career, having completed her legal education she was admitted to the Trinidad and Tobago Bar on May 31, 2000. Currently she holds the position of Vice President, Investment Promotion with Evolving TecKnologies and Enterprise Development Company Ltd. (eTecK) based in Trinidad and Tobago which is responsible for the development of the country’s economic diversity.

Her dedication to hard work isn’t just limited to her career, over the years she has lent herself greatly to her passion for human and social development by championing various charitable causes both big and small.

In June of 1998 she was honoured by the United Nations with the title of Goodwill Ambassador for HIV/AIDS, where she renewed her commitment to fighting this disease and the stereotypes associated with it. Her dedication to the HIV/AIDS cause also led her to found The Hibiscus Foundation (THF) in Trinidad and Tobago on the 6th of September 1998. This organization was established to heighten AIDS awareness in Trinidad and Tobago and to give assistance, financialy and otherwise, to children’s homes in Trinidad. Read more: WF

From Wikipedia: Currently, she is the Vice President of Investment Promotion at the Evolving TecKnologies and Enterprise Development Company Limited (E TecK), a state-owned company in Trinidad and Tobago. She is also attached to the Trinidad Guardian's Guardian in Education: Making a Difference project, a series of motivational school tours that also features former World Champion sprinter Ato Boldon and cyclist Michael Phillips, aiming to promote the development of the country's diversity.

Her dedication to hard work isn’t just limited to her career, over the years she has lent herself greatly to her passion for human and social development by championing various charitable causes both big and small.

A highlight of her social work came when she became appointed the Red Cross Ambassador of Youth for the Caribbean. This is the first time the Red Cross has appointed anyone to this high honourary office. In this capacity she has been afforded the opportunity to address the World’s Youth globally, most recently as the keynote speaker of the Summit of The Americas V in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Wendy gave birth to her son, Ailan Andrew Panton in June 2006, and separated from his father, David Panton, in 2008. She currently resides in her native Trinidad and Tobago with her 4 year old son, who became muse for her first book, “Letters To Ailan”, an ode to him and about her experience as a mother. She achieved great success with her book and has launched "The Wendy Fitzwilliam Show" on Heartbeat 103.5fm (Trinidad) which airs on Sundays at 10am -11am. Read more: WP