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Now that she has returned home after a historic Miss Global 2025 first runner-up finish in Nonthaburi, Thailand, Keri-Ann Greenwood is ready to unleash her plans for her charity, Ferguson Foundation.
The Ferguson Foundation is named in honour of her deceased mother, Sonia Diana Ferguson, who battled mental illness before passing on July 31, 2019.
Hours after her return to Jamaica late Tuesday night, Greenwood had a courtesy call with Fayval Williams, minister of finance and the public service, to express where she would want her foundation to go, and her other plans for the year.
“I gave her an insight as to what I want to achieve. I want to start a rehabilitation programme [for those] who have been treated with mental illness, and that would stem from my personal experience given that my mom was schizophrenic, so that led me to that path,” Greenwood told The Gleaner on Thursday during an interview.
“[While I was] taking care of her I didn’t have the necessary resources to really help her to get through her illness, so I want to start a programme working mostly on their skill sets and creativity and how they can better their circumstances,” she explained.
Greenwood hopes to also connect with Dr Christopher Tufton, minister of health and wellness, to partner for connections to be made with other persons in the health sector.
Feeling good about her first runner-up victory in the Miss Global 2025 competition, Greenwood made history as the highest-placed Jamaican. The Miss Global 2025 crown went to Nhu Van Nguyen Dinh of Vietnam, while Puerto Rico’s Ediris Rivera Berrios secured the second runner-up position.
Representing Miss Universe Jamaica East 2024, Keri-Ann Greenwood captivated the judges and audience alike with her grace, intellect, and undeniable presence. Competing against more than 60 women from across the world, she embodied the pageant’s 2025 theme: Empower. Embrace. Embody – a mantra that mirrors her own journey of perseverance and self-empowerment.
While she would have loved for her late parents to be part of the welcome party, she shared that her three cousins, with whom she lives, along with her best friends Gabrielle Suglam and Brittany Wallace, warmly welcomed her home near midnight on Tuesday.
“They were so happy to see me. I’ve been homesick for a little while. I’ve been communicating that with them, so they knew I was really happy to be back, and they met me there. I missed my people and I missed my food! I missed Jamaican food so much.”
Now that she was placed second in the competition, Greenwood says that she feels like she did Jamaica justice.
“Everyone seems to be proud of me, and I came out a better and elevated version of myself. I feel like I won in the end, both for my country and for myself,” Greenwood explained.
She admitted she was stunned when she realised she had made it to the final two.
“I can honestly say I did not expect the placement. It felt very surreal. I couldn’t believe that I was holding hands with someone on stage at an international level. It’s not that I never believed in myself, it’s just that I am aware ... and for me to reach that far, it meant that they saw something in me that maybe I didn’t realise, or I didn’t see in myself at the time. But, I was very happy to be there and for them to see and understand who I am and that it brought me so far.”
Preparing for the international stage, she said, was not an easy task, but she was offered assistance from several individuals. She had one-on-one sessions with Andwar International, the franchise owner of Miss Global Jamaica. She also worked with Andrew Harris for interviews, speech, and photography preparation, Keneisha Mitchell of Poised to Perfection for walk and coach training, and Jermaine Blair for inspiration on her wardrobe and personal guidance.
English (US) ·