Like so many other occasions this year, the 2020 Miss Cayman Islands Universe pageant was far from typical.

When 26-year-old accountant Mariah Tibbetts learned she would be crowned queen, the islands were still in lockdown and, in theory, the pageant was still months away.

The decision to crown the 2019 first-runner-up, Tibbetts, came as a surprise and the Bodden Town beauty, with Cayman Brac roots, is still adjusting to her uncommon ascent to the crown.

Tibbetts stopped by the Cayman Compass studio to reflect on her 26 Sept. crowning at Grand Old House and what she hopes to accomplish during her unexpected reign.