Miss Black International

Chyna Lawrence

When Chyna Lawrence heard the news, she lost her composure and crumpled. “Me? They’re saying me?” Adjusting her crown, the new Miss Black International stepped into the spotlight.

No stranger to beauty contests, this 5-foot-10-inch, rail-thin model won Miss Black Maryland in 2000 and Miss Black Washington in 2005. She was first runner up in the Miss Black USA contest. When the winner of that contest could not fulfill her obligations in the next go-round of competition, Lawrence stepped in, traveled to Toronto and nabbed the international title on March 12, beating out 19 other contestants

Besides putting in 40-hour weeks as senior officer management coordinator in Pediatric Cardiology, Lawrence hits the gym three days a week, works the New York high-fashion runways on weekends, and raises three daughters, two of whom are models.

“It’s sometimes hard to juggle everything,” she says. “But how can I complain?”

—Lydia Levis Bloch