It was just four months ago when Shaunte Simons, 18, was crowned Miss Teen Bermuda Islands yet she’s already gearing up to shine in an overseas competition.The former Saltus Grammar School student left the Island on Monday to take part in the Haynes Smith Miss Caribbean Talented Teen Pageant in St Kitts tomorrow.She spoke to The Royal Gazette before her departure and said she was a little nervous, but mostly excited about the competition.Since 1980, the show has been the first of its kind in the region and showcases the talents of young females in the Caribbean.Miss Simons said she was most excited about “meeting with the girls and of course the competition itself”.“For the competition it’s mainly about your talents and I am doing a dramatic monologue and I am very excited about it. My topic is abstinence, which is a subject dear to me.“I look around and see a lot of younger girls getting pregnant and [they] think that is the way to go. I think it’s a strong message [to encourage them to wait].“I love to share it with young women to let them know they have a choice because with every choice there is a consequence, that could be either negative or positive.”A devoted member of the St David’s Glory Temple New Testament Church, Miss Simons served as a Sunday School teacher while on Island. In addition to the title as pageant queen, she also was named Miss Sweet Charity 2011.She is currently studying law at the University of West England in the UK. She also was recently handed an education award from the Bermuda International Companies group.Miss Simons will spend several days before the pageant taking part in activities, like radio interviews, lunches and meeting with the Prime Minister in St Kitts.While she said she didn’t foresee any challenges, she admitted she was feeling a bit of nervous excitement before the big day. She hopes she can use that energy to wow the judges.“I am confident and I expect to do really well but of course you should never go into it thinking you will win. You should always aim for the stars though.”