I recently watched a fascinating interview with the incredible Vanessa Williams, which most of us know as an actress, singer and/or Broadway star. If you were a fan of a shows like Desperate Housewives or Ugly Betty or the song 'Save the Best for Last' rings a bell, you will know exactly who I am talking about. Her first claim to fame, however, was becoming the very first black Miss America.  Many people forget that a pageant can (and in those days it was easier) catapult you into some sort of direction but as we have become overwhelmed with content and content creators, reality TV stars and thousands of shows in an ever-growing number of channels and streaming platforms, winning a pageant doesn't guarantee anything anymore. While many stars, do everything they can to downplay their pageant history, Williams remain unapologetic and speaks candidly about the matter when asked. Winning a pageant often comes with its own can of worms: people's preconceived perceptions. Eve...

This should come as absolutely no surprise but the woman who made me the proudest in 2025 is Harashta Haifa Zahra. I consider myself lucky that I had the privilege and honour of working with her for 12 months and there is so much to learn from this remarkable young woman.  You see, many people think that it's only the bright lights, the shows, the glamour, the excitement that we live for but trust me, there's only so much that you can take of that before it becomes repetitive. What really mattered that most to me was the people I met and the potential I saw in them. Every title holder came in with an open mind and an open heart. Each one came in with their own experiences, ideas and expectations - also their own baggage. That's the beauty of working with people. But it's also the hardest part because you just hope that they will have a good year and that what you think you do to guide and support them will be met, or at least understood, with the understanding that it c...

 In this series, I will highlight some candidates who competed at the pageant organization I used to work for. Now this one is tricky because I was lucky enough to interact with most of the candidates (not in person because of my personal choice) but I met some around the world and interacted with many of them online too. I am biased and I found all the girls I encountered so special and will always support them in their future endeavours. Because I am doing it for other pageants, I shall do it for this one too. The 'From Poland to..." Eye on You series concludes with a lady who placed in the top 12:  Marvelous Sanyaolu - USA  One of the most pleasant, or shall I say most beautiful, surprises of last year's pageant in Poland was the spectacular Marvelous Sanyaolu, who represented the United States. Crowned only a couple of weeks before the scheduled departure time, Marvelous proved that her military training gave the grit and determination to take on any challenge and hit...

  In this series, I will highlight some candidates who competed at the pageant organization I used to work for. Now this one is tricky because I was lucky enough to interact with most of the candidates (not in person because of my personal choice) but I met some around the world and interacted with many of them online too. I am biased and I found all the girls I encountered so special and will always support them in their future endeavours. Because I am doing it for other pageants, I shall do it for this one too. Continuing with a lady who placed in the top 12:  Fabiola Vindas - Costa Rica When I first saw photos of Fabiola, I thought to myself that it is so exciting to see such a strong contender for a “non-sash factor” country, like Costa Rica. Then, when I heard her speak, I fell in love with her charm and sweet nature and her story blew me away.  I was so happy to see this stunning young woman do so well in Poland. If memory serves correctly, she gave her country thei...

 In this series, I will highlight some candidates who competed at the pageant organization I used to work for. Now this one is tricky because I was lucky enough to interact with most of the candidates (not in person because of my personal choice) but I met some around the world and interacted with many of them online too. I am biased and I found all the girls I encountered so special and will always support them in their future endeavours. Because I am doing it for other pageants, I shall do it for this one too. Continuing with a lady who placed in the top 24:  NaMakau Nawa - Zambia  At only 20 years of age, the incredible NaMakau Nawa from Zambia was one of the youngest candidates to represent her country in Poland last year. But that surely did not stop her from achieving great things. Her first major achievement was becoming one of the top 6 of the on camera interview portion of the competition.  The statuesque stunner continued to turn up the heat upon arrival an...

  How do you show up at an INTERNATIONAL pageant when you have had less than a month to prepare - well, you show up like Lebohang Raputsoe from South Africa .  I first met Lebohang when she competed in the inaugural edition of Miss Cosmo in 2024 and was immediately drawn to her because of her warmth, kindness and intelligence. And I would bump into her at least once every day and always walkes away smiling, feeling proud. It was also lovely to meet her family and I was delighted when she placed in the top 10.  Fast-forward to 2025, it came as a beautiful surprise that she was chosen to represent South Africa in Poland . I knew it would be tough job but nothing this diamond could not handle. And she showed up, she gave it her all and she slayed! That’s how you do it.  So, if she were to compete again, I would love her to go for South Africa because she has so much to offer the country and I would love to see her reign with excellence!