Miss Eternity Crowns Two Delegates in Lakeland Pageant
LAKELAND, Fla. – The Lakeland-based Miss Eternity program crowned its first two pageant winners on Aug. 8 at Victory Church. Nikki Victorious, who represented the Philippines, took the Miss Eternity 2026 title. Diana Dagis, competing as Miss Eternity Legacy Ohio, won the Legacy division for women 50 and older.
The pageant was the conclusion of a 12-month mentorship program focused on studying the Bible, character study, and modest fashion. The evening opened with a graduation ceremony for all 19 delegates before any titles were awarded.
Miss Eternity and Miss Eternity Legacy 2026
Victorious, who lives in Fort Worth, Texas, represented the Philippines. She said the part of the year that stuck with her the most was not the stage, but a mission trip where she met girls who had survived sex trafficking, girls living in crisis shelters after their parents sold them, and incarcerated girls who never had a visitor.
“There really is nothing that can satisfy like doing for others what Jesus did for us,” Victorious said.
She said the year stripped away things she had held on to. “The biggest thing I’ve learned from Miss Eternity is that He [God] is my dream. He’s my goal. He’s my purpose. He’s everything,” she said.
Diana Dagis was born in Brooklyn, New York, and lives in Ohio. She said her daughter sent her information about the program while she was finishing chemotherapy and radiation. At first, she didn’t believe she was in any condition to compete. She prayed about it and committed in January 2026.
“Age is nothing but a number,” Dagis said. “God is so great. His faithfulness is forever. Keep on striving, because every single day we can always get better.”
Dagis said she hopes to use the title to encourage others. “I want to be able to uplift someone and let them know that no matter what they’re dealing with, God is able to do anything and everything,” she said.
The Founder
Karolyne Roberts, the founder of Miss Eternity, is a Lakeland resident, an author, and the operator of a publishing company. She has been married to her college sweetheart, Kal, of 13 years. They have four children. She was born and raised in Florida and is of Haitian and Jamaican descent. Roberts holds the title of Miss Eternity 2025 as the organization’s first titleholde. Victorious is the first delegate selected through the pageant.
Roberts has her own pageant history after discovering she could earn college scholarships. She was named South Florida’s Distinguished Young Woman in 2011 and later became Miss Haiti International 2022, placing in the top 15 at the international competition. She has also held the title of Miss Lakeland USA.
Roberts said she found a large community of women of faith in the pageant world, but the values of some programs did not align with those of the women competing in them. She credits her husband with coming up with the name Miss Eternity and says she spent almost three years securing the domain and trademark before launching the program publicly in 2025.
From Across the Nation and Abroad
The program enrolled 17 delegates in the Miss Eternity division and two in the Miss Eternity Legacy division. Delegates hold titles tied to a city, region, or country. Kay Nash competed as Miss Eternity Central Florida and Vanessa Leker as Miss Eternity South Florida. The rest traveled in from Texas, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, Missouri, and North Carolina with Nehemie Saint-Ange representing Haiti as Miss Eternity N. Haiti.
A Celebration of Faith, Legacy And Leadership
Throughout the evening, women were recognized for faith, leadership, service, sisterhood, and impact, including Miss Eternity, Miss Congeniality, Woman of the Word, Talent, Church’s Choice, Radiant Reflections, and additional distinctions that reflect the pillars of Faith, Legacy, and Leadership.
The Panelists
Six panel members scored the competition: psychologist and talk show host psychologist Michelle Daf, pastor JT Tapias of Empty Your Bucket Plan, Christian Models Association founder Angela “Stikks” Adams, pastor and broadcaster Jen Mallan, chaplain Trevor Booker of Family Made Whole and pastor Sheryll Broadnax of Mind, Body, Soul, Spirit Ministries Inc. Author Maleeka Thomas served as judges’ chair and financial advisor Bruce Parmenter as auditor. Pastor Delpha Samuels directed the stage, and author/speaker Melina Thomas hosted the live broadcast.
Inner beauty and strength
Roberts said delegates worked through an online mentorship portal that released a new teaching each month along with quizzes, assignments, and lifestyle applications. The group met twice a month by video call, often with a guest speaker, and delegates prayed and fasted together. The program’s published materials describe the mentorship as modeled on the 12-month preparation of Queen Esther and organize it around three pillars: faith, legacy, and leadership.
The pageant carries no swimsuit or fitness segment. Recognition categories include Miss Eternity for faith and leadership, Miss Congeniality selected by contestant voting, Modest Fashion, Woman of the Word for Bible literacy and teaching, Talent as a ministry performance, Church’s Choice for servanthood and outreach, Evening Gown, Proverbs 31 Woman decided through a closed-door interview and resume, and Radiant Reflections.
Miss Eternity is not a traditional pageant. There is no swimsuit or fitness competition. Instead, this Christ-centered event honors character, leadership, and spiritual depth, celebrating beauty that flows from a life surrendered to God’s purpose. Delegates also submitted their wardrobe for approval. Roberts said she reviewed submissions and sent items back when they did not meet the program’s modesty standard, and that delegates learned to alter or layer pieces rather than replace them.
The Delegates
Naomi Chatman of Miss Eternity Central Ohio was named first runner-up, and Shamonn Wise of Miss Eternity NW Texas was named second runner-up. Monica Merriweather of Miss Eternity Legacy North Carolina was first runner-up in the Legacy division. Natalie Budden of Miss Eternity SE. Texas won the Talent award, and Dagis won Radiant Reflections, the editor’s choice award judged on a written article.
Chatman, who is from Columbus, Ohio, said she had followed Roberts’ work for several years and applied when the pageant was announced.
“It was better than what I expected,” Chatman said. “It was life-changing. It’s one of those things that if you walk away with nothing, you walk away with everything.”
Chatman, who performed a dance during the competition and was named a Talent finalist, said she had prayed about the performance for months.
“This is an audience of one,” she said. “I’m not dancing for anyone’s entertainment. I’m dancing because I’m worshiping.”
Joanne Gabriel, who competed as Miss Eternity S. Texas, said the year changed how she saw the other women in the room. “It’s more than just a pageant,” Gabriel said. “It’s really a place where you will heal, and you will find genuine women of God who support each other. There’s no spirit of competition, no spirit of jealousy or envy.”
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The program has drawn sponsors. Roberts said one sponsor covered a full entry for a delegate this year, and others underwrote training and coaching. The winner receives a scholarship intended for a purpose project of her choosing rather than a designated organization.
What comes next
As Miss Eternity 2026, Victorious will serve as mentor for the incoming class, which began its 12-month cycle in August. Roberts introduced an ambassadorship program at a pre-pageant retreat, giving delegates who did not win titles a continuing role that could include hosting local events, recruiting, and eventually serving as directors.
Roberts said applications have arrived from Africa, the Netherlands, and Cyprus, among other places.
A Miss Eternity Teen division for ages 14 to 19 has been added to the class of 2027, alongside the Miss Eternity division for ages 20 to 49 and Miss Eternity Legacy for women 50 and older. The program states that delegates must not currently hold an international title in another pageant system. More information can be found at misseternity.com.
Sources: Interview with Karolyne Roberts, founder of Miss Eternity, conducted by The Citrus Tea News, Aug. 1, 2026; on-site interviews with Nikki Victorious, Diana Dagis, Naomi Chatman and Joanne Gabriel, Victory Church Assemblies of God, Lakeland, Aug. 8, 2026; Miss Eternity Class, Selection Panel, About, Pageant Info and Apply pages, misseternity.com, accessed Aug. 15, 2026; “Miss Eternity Pageant and Christian Market,” Eventbrite, eventbrite.com; photos by Becky McLachlan for The Citrus Tea News, except where noted as courtesy of Miss Eternity, facebook.com/misseternityofficial
