KOTA KINABALU: Newly crowned Harvest Queen Cheryl Lyn Pinsius will not be leaving Sabah any time soon despite winning a scholarship to pursue her studies out of the state.
Cheryl, a clerk in a music store, said she would quit her job and continue her studies at a local college because she does not want to be far from home.
“I feel that I owe it to Sabah as I am now the Unduk Ngadau (Harvest Queen). I want to give something back to Sabah and promote our state by taking up the scholarship to pursue a diploma in tourism here,” she said after clinching the title at the 2014 Unduk Ngadau contest at the Kadazandusun Cultural Village on Saturday.
The contest was held in conjunction with the Kamaatan Festival.
The 21-year-old, who is from the city, could not believe her luck when she won, receiving over RM100,000 worth of prizes, including cash, jewellery sponsored by Diamoney Jewellery Sdn Bhd, as well as scholarships to a local college here and a university in Peninsula Malaysia.
“I was really shocked when I was announced the winner as the other girls were also very good during the finals,” she said.
Student Scarlett Megan Liew, 19, of Kota Marudu district emerged as the first runner-up while Liz Lorenna Rayner, 25, representing the Johor Kadazandusun Cultural Association, was named second runner up.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup said the festival, which was celebrated by ethnic communities in Sabah, could help strengthen national unity and integration.
Although Kaamatan was a traditional celebration among the Kadazandusun and Murut, other communities joined in to create an atmosphere of merriment, peace and harmony, he said.
“Our cultural differences are no obstacle for this country’s plural society to unite as one big family under the 1Malaysia concept,” Kurup said at the closing of the Community Integration Visit Programme on Sunday night.
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