Mrs Universe champions advocacy, rooted in faith

By Klysha Best

A new Caribbean queen has been crowned, and she is using her platform to champion some of society’s most vulnerable, guided by a profound Catholic faith.

Ria Mohammed, the recently crowned Mrs Universe Caribbean 2026, is a 42-year-old attorney-at-law and parishioner of St Ann’s RC Church. She plans to dedicate her reign to advocacy against domestic violence and for disability rights.

In an exclusive interview with The Catholic News, Mohammed revealed that her journey to the pageant stage was one of personal overcoming and divine timing.

A brilliant scholar who placed fifth in the world in Management of Business and a Harvard-trained lawyer, she long deferred pageant suggestions to focus on her career and raising her two children as a single mother. Her daughter Jordan, 22, is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) Degree at The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica and her son Cameron, 17, is a high school student at The Sage Academy.

“For most of my life, I have struggled to think of myself as beautiful or as deserving of the spotlight,” Mohammed confessed. “This year the inspiration to enter the pageant came courtesy my best friend Janelle Nicholls who has always insisted that I enter, and from former Miss World Giselle La Ronde-West who gave me this sage advice, ‘Nothing ventured. Nothing gained’.”

She decided to “take the plunge” and is now the first titleholder of Mrs Universe Caribbean.

Still wrapping her mind around the win, Mohammed admitted: “I am a very reserved and private person. Stepping into a public role of service does require me to step out of my comfort zone. But I have always been a person to meet a challenge with steadfast determination and grit. God has helped me to understand that embracing a life of service is part of my calling and part of His purpose for my life. I believe wholeheartedly that He has guided me onto this path and will give me all the tools required to succeed and excel for His praise and glory.”

Personal commitment

Her advocacy is deeply personal. “Every woman in every generation of my family has experienced domestic violence,” she shared, recounting an abusive childhood home. She noted also that many of her immediate family members have struggled with depression and mental health challenges. Her passion for disability rights is fuelled by her son, Cameron, who is on the autism spectrum.

“Both domestic violence and disability are no respecter of persons,” Mohammed said. “Domestic violence affects persons of every creed, race, sex, gender, socio-economic background. The local statistics are alarming with 1 in 3 persons having experienced abuse. And persons with disabilities represent the world’s largest minority group and comprise four per cent of our local population. A disability can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time and as we age, we will all acquire a disability. Also, many persons with disabilities experience abuse so there is a natural synergy between both issues. Yet neither one has been or is being frontally addressed or resourced from a societal or legal perspective,” she added.

Manifold role

Mohammed sees no conflict between her identities as a lawyer, a queen, and a faithful Catholic. Instead, she describes her faith as the unifying foundation.

“As Catholics, we are called upon to be a Church of faith in action. The God we serve is a God of peace, compassion, justice, truth, and love. Therefore, as Catholics we must have an abiding commitment to addressing all forms of injustice in the world. Law, pageantry and public advocacy give me the platform to do that, particularly in relation to two issues that I am deeply passionate about…” she explained.

She credits her parish, St Ann’s, and the practice of the Surrender Novena with giving her “immense peace and clarity of purpose” during difficult times. Her daily spiritual anchor is the rosary, which she says recalibrates her consciousness toward “love, patience, humility and excellence”.

With her new title, Mohammed aims to move beyond awareness to tangible change.

Faith in action

Legally, she will advocate for national legislation to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and study comprehensive domestic violence laws like those in St Lucia. Within the Church, she envisions concrete programmes to support abuse survivors and fully include persons with disabilities in all aspects of parish life.

“We must have programmes and policies to include persons with disabilities in every aspect of our Catholic faith… This will create a paradigm shift towards building a more just and equitable society,” she stated.

Her message to young Catholic women is one of bold authenticity, quoting a favourite poem: “You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.”

“Nothing will bring you greater peace, happiness and fulfilment than walking fully in God’s purpose for your life,” Mohammed said, embodying a mission where a crown is not merely an accessory, but a tool for service, justice, and unwavering love.

Mohammed will be representing Trinidad and Tobago at the Mrs Universe pageant this September in Botswana.

She is currently seeking sponsorship for this historical trip and anyone interested in assisting can make contact via 680-5037.