Women Who Made Me Proud in 2025: Serena Darder - Miss International Netherlands 2025

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I had the pleasure of spending three weeks with Serena back in 2022 in Nowy Sacz. She was a really good candidate and if I remember correctly, she narrowly missed the cut. But two years later, when she competed at the inaugural edition of Miss Cosmo, she placed in the top 10. It just shows, different system, different result. Also, Serena worked hard - she is a hard worker and she continues to do so. So when I met her last year this time in the Netherlands, I was really impressed by how far she has come. 


When it came to Miss International, I was sure that Serena would do well. Miss International is the trickiest of all the pageants because it's really hard to understand exactly what the judges are looking for. That just made Serena's top 20 achievement so much more special. Yes, I thought she should have advanced further but the fact that she was the only European candidate in the top 20 speaks volumes. 


Serena, I continue to be proud of you and cheer for you. Please keep going and I think you should next aim for Grand or Universe! You've got it. 


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