Sara Lawrence (born 23 November 1984) was the representative for

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

in the

Miss World 2006 Miss World 2006, the 56th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 30 September 2006 at the Sala Kongresowa, the main 2,897-seat auditorium of the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, Poland. It was the first time ever that the page ...

beauty pageant. In March 2007, she relinquished the ''Miss Jamaica World'' title upon announcing her pregnancy, becoming the first winner in the Jamaican contest's 23-year-history to do so. Lawrence was born in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...

. She graduated from

Randolph-Macon Woman's College Randolph College is a private liberal arts and sciences college in Lynchburg, Virginia. Founded in 1891 as Randolph-Macon Woman's College, it was renamed on July 1, 2007, when it became coeducational. The college offers 32 majors; 42 minors; � ...

Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch (1740–1820), John Lynch, the city's populati ...

, where she majored in biology with an emphasis on

pre-medicine Pre-medical (often referred to as pre-med) is an educational track that undergraduate students in the United States pursue prior to becoming medical students. It involves activities that prepare a student for medical school, such as pre-med course ...

; according to her contestant biography, her career ambition is to become a doctor specializing in

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

and

gynaecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined are ...

. After winning the Jamaican title in August 2006, Lawrence placed in the first six at the Miss World competition held in

Warsaw, Poland Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-cen ...

, where she was also named Miss World Caribbean. Upon relinquishing her crown in March 2007, Lawrence said in a statement that she had "taken a deeply personal decision to face up to my responsibilities as one who expects to become a mother later this year. I believe with all that is within me that it is my moral obligation to do what I believe to be ethically correct and follow what I believe in my heart to be right." The pageant's entry rules dictate that contestants must not have given birth to a child prior to the competition, and the winner "must be prepared to be a positive

role model A role model is a person whose behaviour, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people. The term ''role model'' is credited to sociologist Robert K. Merton, who hypothesized that individuals compare themselves ...

for the youth of Jamaica." Mickey Haughton-James, a pageant official, said that "Lawrence's actions could potentially harm the tradition that is the Miss Jamaica World pageant and its past and future winners." Lawrence, however, received overwhelming support from the Jamaican public for her decision to have her baby. She received the backing of the Miss World Organization and was allowed to retain both her crowns for the full duration of the reign.

References

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Miss World 2006 Contestant Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Sara Living people 1985 births Jamaican female models Miss World 2006 delegates Miss Jamaica World winners