Beauty Talks with Divya Yabindranauth, Miss United Continents Guyana 2017

Divya Yabindranauth, 22, will represent Guyana at the 2017 Miss United Continents pageant to be held this month in Ecuador. Know more about her through this Beauty Talks.

Please tell us about yourself.
I am 22 years old, currently working for an oil company as an Administrative Assistant; while I simultaneously pursues my degree in Engineering. Presently, I reside in Houston, Texas with my parents and two younger brothers. In my r free time, I makes frequent visits to children at local area hospitals, and engages in outreach programs through her church. Three years ago, I joined forces with Saving Hands Emergency Aid, Inc., (SHEA), a non-profit organization aimed at providing financial medical assistance coupled with pro-bono or subsidized medical treatment for families in need. As the Regional Director for Guyana, I assisted with finding treatment services, raising funds, meeting with patients (especially children), and interactions on a one-on-one basis. I plan to continue developing myself throughout life, learning and growing in influence and compassion towards others. In collaborating with the SHEA Foundation, it gives me the opportunity to help those that are struggling with providing adequate financial aid and medical treatment for individuals in dire need of medical care.

To those unfamiliar with the Miss United Continents Pageant, please tell us what is it about?
The Miss United Continents will be held on September 8th to September 23rd in, Ecuador (South America) with the main purpose of “Unifying the Continents of the world. This event will have the participation of the representatives of different countries from all over the world. The Miss United Continent pageant has counted with the support of the Municipality of Guayaquil and the contest has always been televised via satellite worldwide.

How has your experience been in this competition?
It is very difficult keeping up with work, school and staying focused on the pageant and goals especially when you are new to pageantry. Being in a pageant is the best experience any girl could ever do in their life time. It takes a lot hard work and time to do pageants but during the experience you make new friends, learn a lot about others, and help others be more motivated towards their goals while you are staying focus on your own goals as well. It also takes a lot to do pageants because you have charity work to complete, study a lot about different countries, learn about what goes into the pageant itself, how to communicate with others who are in different levels of society. A lot of time has to be put into my pageant so that I could get to where I am now in life. I learned a lot about myself that I didn’t know before, it helped me to grow more as a person, and I got to meet new people who I was able to have a long-term friendship with and be able to call them my pageant sisters. Also, I got to share my work that I have done with SHEA to Guyana and reach out to more people who are in need. I got to meet with all different patients and visit the hospitals, orphanages, schools and complete hands on work with them and be able to give them the supplies they lacked.

What made you decide to compete for your title?
I always wanted to do pageant. I saw all the incredible opportunities you can get from doing a pageant, so getting the opportunity to compete for my country on an international stage is the most amazing feeling.

Please tell us about your platform or a cause and why it is dear and close to your heart.
My platform is Medical outreach under the theme “Saving Lives; Bringing Hope for the Underprivileged”; it means a lot to me when I get the chance to help those who cannot help them self. Being able to be a part of an amazing charity that can help those who are in need medical treatment is just so heart melting. This is extremely important to me because I have seen the struggle some of my fellow Guyanese faced when it comes to healthcare and finding adequate treatment; together we can make a measurable difference. In the world.

You are an inspiration to all the girls out there. How does it feel?
It feels amazing because they look up to you and I get the chance to motivate them and help them open up and be able to share with others. I love that I can share my experiences with all girls around the world and show that anything is possible as long as they put their mind to it. I am able to uplift their spirits and create positive energy.

How did volunteering help your life?
Volunteering has helped me bring a lot of good energy and vibes. I’m able to help others who are more in need than I am. It has also helped me gain more respect, and better myself as a person and I have become more caring towards others who don’t have the things that I do in life. More importantly, I’m able to appreciate more of what I have.

How does education play a role in your life?
It plays a major role in my life. I am currently pursuing my degree in mechanical engineering. It is my main goal in life to achieve my degree and it doesn’t matter how many years it takes me to earn as long as I complete it, I always try my best to motivate others to peruse a degree at any cost, it helps you no matter where you are in life.

Evening gown is a big part of competition. Who did you choose and what is your thinking process for selecting the gown?
I have opted for a designer from Guyana because he does amazing designs; as a matter of fact I think he is one of the leading designer currently in Guyana. The thinking process was very difficult because there are a variety of different style, choice and color; it was a bit overwhelming since that is one of the biggest part of a pageant, and after all it is my first appearance and first impression to the world.

What is your onstage strategy to win the judges over?
Being myself and stay true to who I am; being able to be in their presence showcasing what I have to offer as a winner, exuding confidences which I believe is needed in order to win any competition. Having confidence is all a person need in life to win anyone or anything over.

How does it feel to represent your country?
I feel honored to represent my country Guyana at an international level and share with the world what Guyana has to offer. It’s an avenue for me to share our culture with others and be able to learn about the other contestant’s culture so I can also share it with my country.

What does the crown and sash symbolize to you?
My crown and sash symbolize honor, respect, my love and appreciation towards Guyana, and being a role model for other girls in my country.

What does it mean to be a Beauty Queen?
It means respect and honor, and you stand out to others in different aspects of life. It shows you can be anything you want in life. The minute you choose to be a beauty queen, that is the moment you know a lot of individual will look up to you.

Competing in pageants it’s not easy what were some of your obstacles and how did you overcame them?
The obstacles I face in the competition were overcoming my fear of public speaking, learning how to carry myself on stage, making sure I keep up a good public figure since I have a lot of people looking up to me.

What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?
The legacy I want to leave behind is to show other girls around the world that anything in life is possible as long as you work hard and stay focused, always set goals in life so that you may achieve anything you want. No matter what you look like or what you have, you are beautiful and don’t let others tell you any different.

Missosology Guyana would like to say Thank You to Divya Yabindranauth Miss United Continents Guyana 2017 for this amazing interview and wishes her all the best as she represent Guyana in Ecuador.