Miss Bermuda Rochelle Minors has vowed to represent the Island “with dignity and pride” as she takes the stage tomorrow in the Miss World pageant.The 22-year-old beauty said she was “feeling quite excited” in the moments leading up to the big day and looking forward to seeing all the contestants put their best foot forward.The pageant will air on the E! channel at 9am local time. Miss Minors encouraged residents to watch and still believes she has a fighting chance to bring home the crown.She told The Royal Gazette: “Within this pageant, anything can happen and any one of us girls can win.“Being in this pageant has been a once in a lifetime wonderful experience and I would encourage Bermudians to tune in because I will represent my country with dignity and pride and leave a lasting, positive impression on each and every viewer.“This has been a dream come true for me and with all of the never ending love and support that I’ve received, I will surely make everyone feel proud to be a Bermudian on the night.”Miss Minors has been on a whirlwind ride since beating seven other girls in competition for the Miss Bermuda title on July 8.Days later she was being fitted by sponsors AS Cooper & Sons for her pageant wardrobe; a week after that she was on the aeroplane flying to Ordos, China for the Miss World competition.The young model and aspiring fashion designer started making a name for herself soon after her arrival in Asia.She was a semi-finalist in both the talent and modelling components of the event.Miss Minors said it was unfortunate that she didn’t make it to the finals, but was proud of herself for getting that far.“Out of 90 plus girls, I was one of the 24 that made it to the semi-finals of [the] talent [portion]. And out of 118 girls I was one of the 40 to make it to the semi-finals of top model,” she said.“For my talent I sang ‘Redemption Song’ by Bob Marley [and] I was quite shocked when I made it to the semi-finals because I am not a singer.“Originally I had intended to recite a poem as my talent, but I was told that it had to be a song, instrument or dance and had 30 minutes to prepare. When it came to the talent semi-final elimination I was very nervous singing, which caused me to not advance to the finals.”It was a different scenario in the modelling segment of the competition. Miss Minors said she was “quite confident” strutting down the catwalk for cashmere luxury brand 1436.“The designer was very impressed with my walk and thanked me for being in his show,” she said.Before leaving Bermuda she thought public speaking might be the hardest part of the competition. Miss Minors admitted undergoing interviews with a large panel, while cameras filmed her from every angle was “quite nerve-racking”, yet she believes she did her best.“I didn’t let it get the best of me though, and as I spoke the judges seemed impressed,” she said.Outside of pageant appearances, Miss Minors had a week off to explore Chinese cities Shanghai and Changshu.While sightseeing she visited museums, lakes, villages and tribes; she also saw Mongolian agricultural plants, had a bikini shoot in the desert, and stayed in a total of six different hotels.“It’s been a fantastic, fabulous, breathtaking experience,” she said.Miss World 2012 is expected to have a record-breaking 118 contestants. The production and scale of the event is also expected to be the largest in the competition’s 62-year history.In addition to soaking in the energy of the pageant, Miss Minors said she was looking forward to the traditional dance segment.Girls from each country “will be featured in their exquisite and exotic national costumes and expressing their cultures through dance”, she explained.But the best part of the pageant has been building relationships with her fellow contestants, particularly Miss Bahamas, Miss South Africa, Miss Argentina, Miss Guyana and Miss US Virgin Islands.Miss Minors said: “I have had a taste of seeing 118 countries through the eyes and hearts of these girls and it’s been exhilarating learning about different cultures.“It’s been great being able to relate with one another and discovering common interests. I have developed lifelong friendships.“I’ve also enjoyed the unlimited supply of food at each meal. I’m quite adventurous when it comes to trying new foods and I must admit I’ve eaten to my heart’s content.”The beauty queen said the hardest part of the experience was dealing with the time zone change. “It’s been difficult keeping in contact with my family and friends as it is a 12-hour difference,” she explained.“Most of the time when I’m going to bed here, Bermudians are just getting up. I have also found it a challenge to keep up with the Miss World time schedule and appearances held for us.”Her parents, sister and aunt have journeyed to China to support her in the finals. Miss Minors said: “I know when I see them there will be nothing but love and appreciation shown by them and I cannot wait.“Having their support and seeing them here will make this whole experience become a reality, that I am a Miss World contestant!”Useful website: www.missworld.com