Zahrah-Catalaya is a seasoned life explorer, a continuous learner, a dedicated and a passionate citizen of the world. Zahrah-Catalaya feels most enriched when working towards a higher purpose and helping people. While at school, Zahrah-Catalaya was awarded for her outstanding academic achievement as the only person in England to get every maths exam correct with a 100% score – an accomplishment that had never been witnessed by her school or her region. Catalaya then went onto to work on high profile criminal and civil cases in the UK honing her legal skills in preparation for Law at University. Zahrah-Catalaya graduated with a distinctive LLB in Law, but she is more than a legal wizard. Her fervent enthusiasm for learning has broadened her horizons into other professions such as technology & consulting, in which she is now an established expert. Art has always played a central part in Zahrah-Catalaya's life. She began playing the piano as a toddler. Zahrah-Catalaya fell in love with classical music at 9 when first hearing Chopin’s’ “raindrop” prelude (Op.28 No.15) and developed her own instrumentals that fused classical pieces with reggae. One of her favourite musical artists is Bob Marley as she loves the fact that his music contained meaningful messages and affirmations (not just because he’s Jamaican, promise!). Her love for art continues into fashion, where she was captivated by the details in the gowns of haute couture pieces by the likes of Geroges Hobeika, Elie Saab and Chanel. Spending her time flicking through Vogue became one of her favourite pastimes, producing realism sketches of notable figures and sketching fashion pieces from her imagination. Enamoured by the classical pieces of haute couture, and she created her own couture fashion blog called “Pearls De Beauty” where she showcases fashion designs from Couture Fashion Week. With a variety of interests and specialties, Zahrah-Catalaya feels accomplished giving back, often to communities whose issues go unheard or unaddressed by creating new opportunities and ascending glass ceilings. Zahrah-Catalaya has made an extensive charitable contribution and aside from her numerous hobbies, her free time has always been devoted to improving the lives of those in need. She consistently volunteers in the community, providing living resources to the homeless community every month. Zahrah-Catalaya also spends her time providing legal advice and assistance to those who cannot afford the fees that comes with hiring a lawyer and who have been wrongly charged for a crime. She has campaigned and worked extensively to reform the Law on Joint Enterprise, prompting a debate in the UK Supreme Court, after witnessing first-hand the innocent casualties of the draconian doctrine. She has supported charities that share the same philanthropic mission in some way or another, having raised over £3,000 for disadvantaged children globally with the Wings of Hope charity. Zahrah-Catalaya holds her Caribbean heritage with great pride and is most humbled and excited about being a Miss Caribbean UK 2023 finalist. 2023 marks the 75th Anniversary of the Windrush and Zahrah-Catalaya aims to ensure that the sacrifice of the Windrush generation was not and will never be in vain, as she believes that we are a continuum of those who came before us, and as such we have a duty to protect their legacy. As a Miss Caribbean UK 2023 finalist, Zahrah-Catalaya aims to mainstream her campaign “A Better World” to provide people in need with the fundamental resources to lead more fruitful lives by helping to mitigate the issues adversely impacting marginalised communities. The founding of her charity; “Helping the Homeless UK”, which she created in school, has now evolved into her foundation called “The Orenda Trust” (www.orendatrust.com). Zahrah-Catalaya is keen to engage with the community, fundraise for her charity and be an inspiring role model to girls across the world. Zahrah-Catalaya is best summed up as a girl with infinite variety who truly embodies the motto of Jamaica: Out of Many, One People.