Kirsten Badillo

Age: I am six years old, born in November 2007.

Born: Belize City, Belize

How long have you lived in Caye Caulker? I came to the island of Caye Caulker as a newborn; the hospital where my mother gave birth is in Belize City, which is 40 minutes away by high speed water taxi.

Occupations: I am in Grade 2 at the Caye Caulker Roman Catholic school, I study math, reading, English and Spanish.

Passions and Interests: I love bicycling; there are no cars on the island and spending time down at the split. The split is a narrow waterway that divides the island in two. This is a popular spot, with locals and tourists as the waters are safe to swim in. I sometimes go out to the reef with my Uncle who is a tour guide.

What do people know you for? Most people would know me because my family has lived on the island for three generations. And I won the Miss Chiquitita pageant in 2013.

Thoughts on Caye Caulker? We have a beautiful island and the second longest reef in the world. In my presentation for the Miss Chiquitita pageant I talked about our shark population being at risk. I titled it, “Don’t eat the Sharks.” In the past, fishermen from Caye Caulker would catch nurse sharks and they would be cooked in traditional Belizean dishes such as panades.

Tallulah’s Musings

I was interested in meeting the winner of the Miss Chiquitita pageant, which is an annual fundraiser for the local school — education is not free in Belize. I met Kirsten at her aunt’s beauty saloon Purple Passion. I was very impressed to hear that Kirsten did a rhythmic gymnastic performance for the pageant that included the splits; she learned it all by watching YouTube. (There is not much in the way of extra curricular activities or instructors at Caye Caulker.) I photographed Kirsten with her beloved bike.