We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Old Girl Vanessa Bright (née Poolian, Class of 1998) about her latest venture as a Miss/Mrs Africa UK finalist, in which she is representing her parents’ home country of Mauritius. This is a step away from Vanessa’s usual role where she works as a life coach. We chatted about how this journey came about, and Vanessa’s plans for the future.

Please let us know what you are doing now and where?

Hello, I am Vanessa Bright, and I am based in the city of Bristol. During the day, I work as a life coach, helping others to tap into their authenticity, remove limiting beliefs and reach their personal goals.

In the evening and at weekends, I am a singer-songwriter and compose music under the soul genre umbrella.

I have worked with well-known celebrity artists from the 80s, such as Jill Saward from Shakatak and Tom Browne, who wrote a hit called “Funkin’ for Jamaica”. I have also been selected to be featured on a playlist with 16 other artists, by R&B star Ne-Yo.

How did your journey to Miss/Mrs Africa UK begin?

An advertisement popped up on my feed on social media and also at another location on a website. I saw this as a sign to apply to the pageant after reading their criteria. We had to attend an interview via Zoom, where a panel of judges were present.

As the competition is more inclusive to mature women, and physical beauty is just one small element of the pageant, I was interested. 

The pageant concentrates more on the intelligence of women, how they carry themselves within their communities and how empowered they are. 

Are there any particular skills that you find are essential for your role as a life coach?

Yes. There are quite a range of skills that are required for the work that I do. For example, strong communication skills that allow you to network well with others and a good sense of self, so that you have enough self-belief to carry out your goals in life. Also, the willingness to learn new things, which never stops, and also a good level of empathy for others, to understand their life situation.

Do you have any advice for current students thinking of following your career path?

If I was to look back at my younger self, I would advise current students to pursue something that they are passionate about.

This is because, when you enjoy your subject, there is more likely to be longevity in it and life is too short to do something you do not enjoy. Also, it is important to listen to what you know is right for you.

What do you hope to do in the future?

I’m hoping that I am selected within the top three of Miss/Mrs Africa UK at the pageant final. I can then continue to build upon this platform by raising awareness for my charity of choice, which is SARSAS, a charity that helps women who have suffered from abuse, and also encourage others to use their voice to shine in the world.  

For the future I would like to continue running my business within life coaching, and also within music.

I am releasing an album that will be out on my website on December 1st, 2022, at www.vanessabright.co.uk. You can also vote for me for the pageant there too. 

When you look back at your time at BGS, what are some of your fondest memories?

My fondest memories were the friends that I made and the subjects that I studied, particularly French. I really enjoyed learning languages. I also studied Business Studies at A Level and really enjoyed the practical assignments as they provided me a good foundation of knowledge in how to conduct a business. A topic that is useful when running your own business, which is what I do now.

Are there any particular teachers who helped to shape your career choice?

Yes! My favourite teacher was actually Mr Service who taught me French. He made our lessons interesting by providing exciting ways for us to learn the language. As a result, I studied French and also Business Studies at the University of Birmingham in 1998.