The young Rolene Strauss met Miss South Africa 2000 Jo-an Strauss
What does it take to become a Miss World? Is it all about glamor, intelligence, humility and that innate desire to help the poor and the needy? Or is it being yourself and making your own path in life? There are no easy answers when it comes to finding the key on how to become the next Miss World. Some people say it is all about luck – being the right girl at the right place and at the right time.
For Rolene Strauss though, her path to the Miss World crown started when she was 8 years old. At such young age, she witnessed the crowning of the new Miss South Africa named Jo-an Strauss (unrelated). That exposure to the world of pageantry inspired the young girl and she began dreaming to become the next Miss South Africa.
Rolene Strauss during her high school days
Baby Rolene with her brother Johann
Rolene formally entered the world of pageantry during her high school days. She was raised and nurtured on the idea that she can achieve great things by just being herself. No forced pageantry trainings, no coerced dieting, no false expectations. Although she worked as a model at the age of 12 and was already in Paris by 16, Rolene never wanted to be a model. She wanted to be something else and Rolene’s parents were more concerned by her future career in medicine. After all, her father is a doctor and her mother is a nurse. Pageantry, if anything, was just a hobby and modeling was never meant to be her steady career but nevertheless, the dream to become the next Miss South Africa remained in Rolene’s mind.
As a beauty queen during her high school days in Volksrust
The work of her parents in the world of medicine influenced her a lot. She was raised to show compassion and be helpful to those in need. Soon to be a medical doctor, Rolene understood the pain and anguish of being sick, of being helpless and of losing a loved one. These realities in life are all in the daily world of the medical profession. Such caring attitude is what Miss World is looking for and not some fake temporary concern because you are joining the pageant. It is all about that genuine sympathy for the needy and that willingness to impart your time to those who need it the most.
Being raised by medical practitioners and being exposed to the pageantry at such young age are perhaps the main components of Rolene Strauss’ victory. Most importantly though, the very foundation of Rolene’s victory was her dream to become Miss South Africa. Not even her defeat in the 2011 Miss South Africa pageant, a pageant that her mentor Melinda Bam won, deterred Rolene’s aim to become South Africa’s crown bearer. Fourteen years ago, the idea that she will become the next Miss World let alone the next Miss South Africa, may have been too lofty for an eight year old. Now, we all know that we should never underestimate the dreams of a young, beautiful and determined girl.
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