Thursday, October 12, 2006

Miss Sri Lanka Jackie Fernandez reflects on her Miss Universe experience

October 7, 2006 (LBO) - It's almost as if you can never really get rid of that little girl inside you. The thought of being a beauty queen has crossed our minds at least once as children. For me, it lingered and lingered…

There is something very mesmerizing and captivating about beauty queens.

Regardless of what people may say, I was was thrown right into the middle of all of it.

My first real life experience with a Miss Universe was July 2004, at a party in Sydney that Jennifer Hawkins, the Australian Miss Universe of that year just so happened to attend.

She was immaculate; flawless from top to bottom. She was as down to earth as any one of us, yet commanded the attention of every single person in the room.

She only said a few words to me, I was too much in awe to remember exactly but it was from that moment on I knew that this lady, woman, queen was someone I wanted to emulate and one day I would know what it felt like to represent the magnificence of a woman for an entire country.

My time came for me in 2006 when I won the Miss Sri Lanka title. It was the most number of emotions in one moment I'd ever felt. The countdown to the pageant was nail biting.

I'm a relatively positive person but no amount of confidence can prepare you for competition of this kind. I didn't realize my own strength or that of my family and friends till I experienced the pageant.

Yearning so badly for a chance to carry my country's flag up high in an international arena made the crown so much more treasured. I remember the very first thought that came into my head when they called out my name, even though it was extremely difficult to think at that time, it was more or less what 'my people have given me, they have entrusted me, with representing the country'.

This meant a whole lot to me as having spent a large part of my life abroad, for Sri Lanka to believe in me and give me the chance, was a feeling of so much gratitude and pride in my people. And they call America the land of opportunity. We have it right here too, you've just got to look for it.

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